


Something Worth Fighting For

by CassidyStark



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-01-25 19:19:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 60
Words: 90,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1659530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassidyStark/pseuds/CassidyStark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl Dixon has finally met his match but the course of true love never did run smooth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Delilah was running for her life. She was tired and dirty, sweat dampening her long wavy brown hair. She was breathing heavy, her summer green eyes wide open. She didn't know where she was going. Eventually she'd get too tired to run anymore but she couldn't think of anything better to do at the moment. She didn't even bother to look back, she knew the walkers were still close behind.

Suddenly the seemingly endless array of trees parted, opening up to a huge field. She could see a big farm house and barn in the distance but she was sure it was abandoned like most places. Instead, a group of people came rushing to her. The walkers behind her were scary but so were the people. People couldn't always be trusted. She was too outnumbered, walkers behind her and a crowd of survivors in front of her.

Everything happened quickly. Gunshots so close to her that they hurt her ears, an arrow whizzing past her face...The walkers were on the ground dead. People were shouting. "Put your hands up!" A man with a shaved head was yelling, pointing his gun at her face. So she did as he said, standing there with her hands up struggling to catch her breath. "You got any weapons on you?"

"My knife on my belt," Delilah answered honestly. Her gun was gone and there were too many walkers to take down with her dagger.

Shane reached out to pat her down but she immediately backed away.

"Shane!" Rick said. "What's your name?"

"Delilah...Delilah Bradley," she said.

"Where'd you come from Delilah?"

"How'd you find my house?" an older man added.

"I had a group but they're gone...the walkers... was just runnin'. I didn't know this place was here. I'm sorry," she explained.

"You don't have anyone?" Rick asked.

She nodded. "No one."

"Just wait here a second."

Rick and the rest of the group huddled away from her, whispering harshly. There was obviously some disagreement on what to do with her. Then Rick came back to her.

"You can stay here with us for a while but you have to help out and if you try anything you'll be gone."

"I'll shoot you myself," Shane said.

"Do you understand?" Rick asked.

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"You don't have to call me sir. You can call me Rick."

He went on to introduce the whole group. Soon after, Delilah and Rick's group were eating lunch together. Delilah was starving. She stuffed her face, occasionally answering questions. She's thirty years old, from Georgia, and she has no family. She worked on cars in her father's shop and volunteered at the hospital in her free time, hoping to one day be a nurse so she could help people. She has good aim with a gun, knows how to use a dagger. cooks, can hunt, and fish.

Shane thinks she's kind of cute. She's about 5' 6", thin but with curves in the right places. She has perfect creamy skin with a bit of a sun-kissed tan from being out in the Georgia sun so much. There's a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her small nose. According to Shane, she has cute kissable pink lips. But he doesn't trust her. She's wearing a black tank top with a jean jacket, fitted jeans, black combat boots, and a necklace with the letter D on it. She's got a backpack on with a few supplies and an empty gun holster on her thigh. It's got one strap hanging down from where its attached to her belt and two straps fastened around her thigh.

The first few days she spends most of her time working. She fixes a problem with one of the cars, helps to cook and do laundry. She does chores on the farm for Hershel and helps him take care of a sick horse. She's proving herself to be a useful part of the group.

She doesn't go into much detail about her past or her group but people are starting to trust her. The men don't say much to her but the women act friendly. She's starting to find a place there with them though she doesn't know how long it will last.

It's been so long since she's had a group, since she's had a safe place to stay. It's so nice there on the farm. Most days are fairly peaceful. It's the nicest place she's been in a long time. So she tries to enjoy it as much as possible because nothing good lasts forever.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this story for a long time and finally decided to post it. Let me know what you think.


	2. Two

Delilah's POV

 

There's a map laid out for us to see as we gather around it. "Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farm house Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far," Rick says.

"I'd like to help. I know the area pretty well," Jimmy steps up.

"Hershel's okay with this?"

"Yeah, he said I should ask you."

"Alright, thanks," Rick nods.

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me," Shane comments.

"Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse."

"Anyone includes her, right?" Andrea suggests.

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high," Daryl gestures to show how short the height was.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick offers.

"No maybe about it," Daryl argues. "I'm gonna' borrow a horse, head up to this ridge right here." He points at the map. "Take a birds-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there I'll spot her."

"Great idea, maybe you'll see your chupacabra there too, T-Dog teases.

"Chupacabra?" Rick questions, clearly confused.

"You never heard this?" Dale is surprised. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."

Jimmy laughs.

"What are you brayin' at Jackass?" Daryl snaps.

"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asks.

"Do ya' believe in dead people walkin' around?" Daryl retorts.

Jimmy suddenly reaches for a gun and Rick stops him. "Hey, hey! Ever fire one before?"

"Well, if I'm going out I want one," he says.

"Yeah, and people in hell want Slurpees," Daryl replies.

We all split up and I follow Daryl to the horses. "I'm goin' with ya'," I say.

"The fuck you are!" he responds. "You're gonna' get your damn ass back to the camp and stay there. Ya' hear me? I ain't gonna' have ya' out there slowin' me down."

"I ain't gonna' slow ya' down," I argue. "Let me go with ya'."

"Why me? If ya really want to go why not Rick and Shane?"

"I don't like Shane."

"And ya' like me?"

I shrug. "You're better than Shane. Besides, they already got enough people. You're goin' out alone."

"I can handle myself."

"And so can I. You're wastin' time standin' here fightin' with me when we could be out there lookin' for that little girl."

"You're a pain in the ass," he shakes his head.

"Great," I roll my eyes.

We climb up on the horse together since it seems to be the only available one for the taking. I rest one hand lightly on his waist, keeping the other on my dagger. Rick gave me a gun before heading out so I have it safely strapped into my gun holster. 

I'm startled when he suddenly raises his crossbow and shoots something. It turns out to be a squirrel, the arrow pinning it to the tree where he jumps down to collect it. He puts the squirrel in his belt and I make a face at him but don't say anything. I'm actually kind of impressed with his aim but I won't say that either.

The next time he jumps down to collect something, it's a doll in the creek. It must belong to the girl. "Sophia!" he calls out, but there's no response. He tucks the doll into his belt as well and gets back on the horse.

Neither one of us sees the snake until it's too late. The horse gets spooked and throws us off before running away. We both take a tumble. I land on a rocky ledge halfway down to the water. My head hits the stone and everything goes black.

When I wake up I look around confusedly. That's when I see Daryl fighting off walkers. I try to stand up and find a way down but I'm so dizzy and there's no safe way down that I can see. Daryl wrestles one of the walkers off of him and bashes its head in with a stick a few times. Then the other one is approaching. He falls onto his back and my eyes widen as he pulls an arrow out of himself. It must have gotten stuck in his side when he fell. He loads it into his crossbow and uses all of his strength to shoot it. It's a perfect shot of course and the walker falls to the ground.

I stumble and slip on the rock, taking another fall. I can't catch myself in time and fall down to the water. "Shit," Daryl says and makes his way over to me. He grabs onto me and manages to help me up. I sit down on a log and he sits with me. "You hurt?"

I shake my head. "Nothin' serious, dizzy..."

He takes off his shirt and ties it around his middle to bind his wound.

"You want me to look at that?"

He shakes his head. "I'll be fine."

I'm very impressed with Daryl. He's a real tough guy and I think I made the right choice to stick by his side today even with all of this. I'm glad that I'm here even if I'm not helping much because at least he's not alone.

He pulls the squirrel out of his belt and lays it on the log. He slices it open with his knife and takes some bloody meat out. He takes a bite and swallows, blood dripping down his chin. The sight of it makes me want to throw up and I give him a disgusted expression.

"Eat some," he suggests.

"No way," I say.

"It'll make ya' feel better. Ya' need your strength to climb."

I look at the raw squirrel with its bloody guts open. I still feel dizzy and weak and I have a nearly impossible climb up the cliff side to make. "Fine," I take some of the squirrel in my fingers and pop it into my mouth, chewing just a few times before swallowing. The taste of blood makes me gag at first but I force it down. "Happy?"

I'm not sure if he actually expected to eat it or not. I have had to do plenty of difficult things in my lifetime. I have to do whatever it takes to survive. This isn't so difficult compared to some of the other things. It's mind over matter. It's just squirrel meat. I eat it cooked. I can eat it now. We have to get out of here.

He gives me this expression that's a mix of amusement and being impressed. "You're a tough son of a bitch."

I shrug in response. If things were different I might laugh at that. It's a compliment and I'll take it.

As I finish eating and wipe my bloody hands on my shirt, Daryl goes and cuts the ears off the walkers. He attaches them to a shoelace from one of the walkers, making a necklace out of it. "What are ya doin'?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Let's go." He picks up the doll again where it dropped, tucking it into his belt once more.

I roll my eyes but go with him to start climbing the cliff. It's one of the most difficult things I've had to do physically. It takes all of my strength and concentration. The cliff is really high and there aren't exactly a lot of hand and foot holds. I grab onto roots and rocks and small trees, anything I can reach. I have to test each hold before I go because some of them turn out to be loose and give way under my weight. Other times I have to throw myself upwards just to reach the next hold. Finally, I reach the top. My arms are shaking from the effort. I'm all sweaty and red-faced. I lay on my belly and reach out to Daryl.

He is muttering something under his breath about someone named Merle. I have no idea who that even is. "C'mon Daryl, you can do this," I encourage him.

"Shut up, I don't need your help."

He tries to reach for something then changes his mind. 

"C'mon!" I insist. "Don't be a fuckin' pussy and get up here already. I ain't got all day to wait for your ass. You said I was gonna' slow ya' down, well now you're slowin' me down. You're gonna' let me beat you at this? You're a big tough guy who can't climb up a fuckin' hill?"

He responds to this. It seems to give him more motivation to climb. He reaches the top and I grab onto his arm, yanking him forward so that he doesn't slide back down. We both scramble to our feet. I am bruised and scraped up but I survived. He's worse off than me. I walk slowly with him as he limps along.

We make it into the field and a group comes running at us. It's Shane, T-dog, Glenn, and Rick. They have their weapons out ready to shoot but then they stop. "Hey," I greet them.

"Daryl? Del?" Glenn asks.

"That's the third time you've pointed the thing at my head," Daryl tells Rick. "Ya' gonna' pull the trigger or what?"

And a shot rings out, startling us all. "No!" Rick yells as Daryl falls to the ground.

I gasp then drop to my knees beside him quickly examining his wound and feeling for a pulse. "Daryl? Daryl wake up, c'mon," I say, but it's no use.

Andrea runs over. She's the one who shot him, thinking he was a walker apparently. "Oh my god, is he dead?" she asks.

"Fuck you!" I exclaim. I would do more but I'm too focused on Daryl at the moment.

"Unconscious, you just grazed him," Rick tells her. He and Shane pick up Daryl, holding his arms around their shoulders so they can drag him back to camp. 

"Look at him! He's wearing ears! What the hell happened?" Glenn is clearly disturbed.

Rick gets rid of the necklace. "Let's keep that to ourselves."

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?" T-Dog picks up the doll from the ground where it fell.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Rick asks me.

"Long story," I say.


	3. Three

Shane, Rick, Hershel, and I go into the bedroom with Daryl in Hershel's house. I help Hershel with treating Daryl's injuries. He asks me if I'm okay and I assure him that I am. He needs to focus on Daryl right now. Daryl's shirt gets pulled off of his wound and I help to clean it up while Hershel attends to his head wound. He needs stitches so Hershel and I work together on that. He asks me if I've ever done stitches and I tell him yes. I don't add that it was on my father when he cut himself on a beer bottle. We get the bleeding under control then finish cleaning him up so that we can bandage him.

When Daryl wakes up, I'm kneeling next to him on the bed, hands on his mid-section. Hershel is standing beside him, washing rags in a basin and wiping his forehead. He gasps startled.

"Hey, it's alright Daryl," Rick says. He and Shane are standing close by, watching.

"We need to get some antibiotics into him," Hershel tells me.

"Get him some water," I tell Rick.

He goes and gets a glass of water, bringing it back along with a map.

"Can ya' sit up a little and take these pills?" I ask Daryl.

"Yeah, stop touchin' me," he sits up, taking the water and the pills.

"I'm helpin' ya'. Shut up. Don't be such a baby. I'm the only one with any medical training besides Hershel."

I take the empty glass and place it on the nightstand.

"Sit still so I can bandage you up."

"Whatever," he says.

"Del told us what happened. Can you point to a map for us where you found the doll?" Rick asks, holding the map up to him.

Daryl points for him. "It washed up in the creek there. It must have dropped when she was crossing."

"That cuts the grid in half."

"You're welcome."

"How's he looking?" Rick asks Hershel and me.

"He's gonna' live," I say.

"I had no idea we'd be going through antibiotics so quickly," Hershel comments. "Any idea what happened to my horse?"

"The one who almost killed me?" Daryl responds. "If it's smart it left the country."

"It's a wonder you people have survived so long," Hershel shakes his head.

I frown but ignore him, focusing on bandaging Daryl.

Once we get a bandage around Daryl's head and over his middle, they leave Daryl to rest so they can discuss plans and start making dinner. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on him," I tell them.

"I don't need no babysitter," he tells me.

"Too bad. Ya' got one anyway."

"Why do you give a shit?"

"Cause I do," I shrug. "Why do ya' have to be an ungrateful bastard?"

He rolls his eyes. "Bitch."

"Don't call me that," I snap.

He sees the reaction that the word has and hesitates. "Sorry."

"Okay..."

He pulls the blankets up over his chest.

"Are ya' tryin' to hide from me?" I ask him. "Ya' can't hide. Why don't ya' tell me what happened to you, what's with all the scars? Looks like someone used ya' for a damn cuttin' board."

"None of your damn business."

I take a minute to be serious with him. "I have scars," I say.

"Don't we all?" He doesn't seem impressed.

I slip my jacket off and turn my back to him. A few of the scars on my shoulders are visible. I lift my tank top up for a moment, long enough for him to see the scars criss-crossing my back. I hear him take in a sharp breath.

"Damn..."

I turn to face him then. "Yeah..."

"What the hell happened to ya'?"

"How come we always gotta' talk about me? You sure like to ask questions but ya' get mighty damn pissy when anybody asks ya' somethin'."

"Hey, who ya' callin' pissy?"

"You heard me," I say. "Why don't ya' tell me what happened to ya' and I'll tell ya' what happened to me? It'll be fair."

"My old man was an alcoholic and he beat the shit outta' me. Ya' happy?"

"Sorry...same here."

"What?"

"My daddy...he was an alcoholic too. My mom died when I was a little kid, she was sick. I used to take all the beatings so that my little sister wouldn't have to. I tried to give her a better life and then the damn apocalypse struck and the both of them were gone. The scars are from the belt he hit me with."

It's the first time I've told anyone this. It's not easy and I'm certainly not proud of it.

"I had a brother," he tells me. "He's still out there somewhere."

"My daddy was sick. His liver was failin' him. He died and he came back...he bit my sister. When I got there they both tried to attack me. I used my old man's huntin' gun and I shot 'em both."

That part's even harder to talk about then the abuse.

"I'm sorry."

I shrug. "I don't need your damn pity, don't want it."

"Well shit..." he sighs. "I didn't know...no wonder you're...he shouldn't have done that."

"And your parents shouldn't have hit ya' either. Ya' know...you're not a bad guy. You really...impressed me out there."

He shrugs off the compliment. "You're not so bad either."

I give him a smile, the first smile I've had in a long time.

I sit with him. We talk a little about our upbringings and our families with each other. Other times he talks to me about the group and their plans. 

At some point Carol comes in to check on Daryl. She brings food for both of us since everyone's eating dinner. "Thanks," I say. I dig into the food immediately. 

"How are you feeling?" she asks me.

I shrug. "I'm okay."

She turns to Daryl then. "How are you feeling Daryl?"

"About as good as I look," he answers.

She tries to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder and he frowns.

"Watch out, I got stitches," he complains.

"You need to know something. You've done more today for my little girl than her daddy ever did his whole life."

He shakes his head. "I didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done."

"I know. You're every bit as good as them."

He doesn't respond so she starts to leave. She pauses for a moment.

"And thank you Delilah, you didn't even know my little girl. So I appreciate what you did, going out looking for her today."

"No big deal," I shrug.

She leaves, shutting the door.

I lie down on my back beside Daryl and we lay there for a while before we all go out to our tents.


	4. Four

I have trouble sleeping the whole night, thinking about everything that happened and about what Daryl and I talked about. As soon as everyone's awake in the morning I go over to Daryl's tent. I crawl inside without asking and sit down beside him. "What are ya' doin' here?" he asks. "I didn't give you no invitation."

I shrug. "Don't need one."

He rolls his eyes. "Ya' gonna' follow me around now or what?"

"Sometimes."

"Great."

"I couldn't sleep," I admit. "Did you sleep okay?"

"It was alright."

"Can I sit here for a while?"

"I guess so."

"Are ya' feelin' a lot of pain or anythin'?"

"I'm alright."

"Okay."

There's no one else in the group that I feel I can really trust or go to except Daryl. We've been through things together, we've confessed to each other our darkest secrets, shared our similar experiences, bared our scars to each other. There's a bond now between us whether either one of us wants to admit that or not.

One of my least favorite people decides to stop in. "Hey," Andrea greets us. "I brought you something. It's not great but..." She hands Daryl a mystery novel.

He flips through it quickly then puts it down. "No pictures?"

She sighs. "I'm so sorry. I feel like shit."

"Good, ya' should," I say.

Daryl shakes his head. "Yeah, you and me both."

"I don't expect you to forgive me but if there's anything I can do..."

"Leave us alone," I suggest.

"You were tryin' to protect the group. We're good," Daryl tells her. "But hey...shoot me again you best pray I'm dead."

I glare at her and she leaves. If she had better aim, she could have killed Daryl. After bonding with him trying to survive out there together, that would have been the end. All because Andrea didn't listen and pulled a trigger before she knew what was going on for sure. I would be alone in the group with no one to go to. I would have to try to bond with these people and I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm friendly with them but there's no bond between us. I don't trust them and admire them and understand them as much as I do with Daryl. I don't even want to think about losing anyone else I care about, especially from something as stupid as what Andrea did.

At some point a group gets in the cars to go practice shooting and Rick wants me to go so I do. He wants to see what I can do and if I want to stay in this group I have to work with them. I have to show them my skills so I can be useful to them. Shane and Rick will be teaching the ones who need help. T-Dog, Andrea, Carl, Jimmy, and another girl from Hershel's house go with us.

We are in the field and there bottles set up to aim at on the fence. Everyone is trying out different guns and learning what to do with them. Shane walks up to me and he says "I heard you and Daryl talking."

"About what?" I question.

"About your fathers."

"Oh..."

Rick is there beside him now and I feel extremely uncomfortable. "I don't think I ran into this many battered kids when I was a cop, now it's the apocalypse and they're all suddenly crawling out of the damn wood works or something," Rick says. 

Daryl told me that Carol's husband was also abusive to her and Sophia. I guess it is a lot of abused kids in the same group. But we're tough and we know how to survive. Or at least, that's how I look at it.

"I don't wanna' talk about it," I tell them.

"Fair enough," Rick goes to help the next person.

"Are you and Daryl fucking now?"

I'm so shocked that I don't respond at first.

"Gonna' say somethin' or is your mouth glued shut?"

"Man, are ya' really asking me that? Because that's fuckin' bull shit. You don't know nothin' so just stay out of it."

"Hey, I'm just asking. You show up here and you're the new girl and maybe you just want to get into our people's pants."

I'm about to explode now. How dare he? "What the hell did I ever do to ya'? I don't need this shit, specially from you. Ya don't even like me so do me a favor and just leave me the hell alone."

"It was just a question. You don't need to act like a little bitch. We could throw you outta' this group. You didn't even answer me. You got something to hide?"

"Ya' know the answer to that. Ya' just want to be a pain in the ass. Ya' think you're scarin' me? You ain't. Ya' think you're so tough Shane. I know ya' ain't."

"Shut you're fucking mouth or I'll shut it for you."

Rick cuts in again. "Hey, back off Shane." Shane takes a step back. "Alright Del, let's see what ya' can do."

I take the gun and focus. I pick off target after target easily. A squirrel runs by and I shoot that too. It's not difficult. I see it. I move my arm, taking a moment to get an aim on it, then pull the trigger. But everyone's impressed, including Shane.

"Damn, when you said you could shoot I didn't know you meant like that," Rick comments.

I shrug. "I've had a lot of practice."

"Good job," he grins approvingly. Shane rolls his eyes and walks over to Andrea.

That night, Shane's words are still echoing in my mind. I have trouble sleeping. And when I do finally sleep, I have a nightmare. I wake up thrashing around, tangled in blankets, sweaty, gasping for breath. My heart is beating fast and my eyes are watery. I must have cried out because a few people have woken up. I feel horrible for waking them and worrying them. And I'm embarrassed.

"Are you alright?" Carol asks me.

"I'm fine," I say quickly. Daryl is standing there too and I go into his tent, expecting that he'll follow. He does and eventually the others go to their own tents.

"What the hell happened?" he asks me.

I sit there and run my hands through my air, still trying to catch my breath. I shake my head, fighting tears. I don't want to cry, especially not where anyone can see me. "Nightmare," I say.

"Ya' woke us all up, shoutin'," he says.

"Sorry. I just...I get them sometimes and Shane...Shane fucked with my head today."

"What? What did Shane do?" He's concerned and confused.

I can't look at Daryl. "He accused me of fuckin' ya.' He said I came in here and just wanted to get in ya'll pants. He said he heard me talkin' to ya' about my daddy. He threatened me."

"Aw fuck no. That bastard. He's lucky I wasn't there. I would've punched him."

"You don't have to...I can protect myself," I sniffle.

"He's a piece of shit, that's what he is. He deserves to get his ass kicked."

"I'm sorry I woke ya'," I say.

"Ain't gotta' apologize."

"Can I just stay here for a little while?"

He nods. "Yeah."

I lay down and relax. I lay on my side so my back is to him and he lays down too. At some point we both fall asleep.

In the morning when we both wake up, we sit up and look at each other. I yawn sleepily. "Hey," he says.

"Hey," I give him a smile.

He gives me a little hint of a smile back.

"Breakfast!" Lori calls out.

Daryl and I go out to where the others are gathered. We get plates of food and he sits down in a foldable camp chair. I move my chair close to his. I don't want to be anywhere near Shane or anyone who supports him.

"You guys spent the night in the same tent?" Lori questions.

"Nothin' happened," Daryl snaps. "She just fell asleep talkin' to me. Fuck! Ya'll are bat-shit crazy."

"Alright," Lori shrugs and walks away.


	5. Five

Suddenly Glenn stands up and tells us all "Um guys...so the barn is full of walkers."

Everyone is silent at first, in shock as they stare at Glenn. Then we all climb to our feet and rush over to the barn. Sure enough, Shane looks in between the cracks and he sees the walkers. We can hear them in there groaning.

"You can't tell me you're alright with this," Shane turns to Rick.

"No, I'm not, but we're guests here. This isn't our land," Rick says.

"Oh God, this is our lives!" Shane yells.

"We can't just sweep this under the rug," Andrea adds.

"Okay," Shane says. "We've either got to go in there to make things right or we just got to go. Now we've been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go," Rick shakes his head.

"Why Rick? Why?"

"Because my daughter is still out there," Carol chimes in.

"Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."

"Shane, we're not leaving Sophia behind," Rick tells him.

"I'm close to findin' this girl," Daryl steps forward. "I just found her damn doll two days ago."

"You found her doll Daryl," Shane snaps. "That's what you did. You found a doll."

"Ya' don't know what the hell you're talkin' about."

"I'm just saying what needs to be said. You get a good lead it's in the first 48 hours."

"Shane, stop!" Rick demands.

"Let me tell you something else man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction."

"Fuck you!" Daryl shouts and jumps at Shane. They are cursing at each other and people have to jump in to pull them apart before they can start beating each other. Rick, Lori, and Glenn all step in.

"Go back to your tent with your little whore!" Shane yells. 

"I'll fuckin' kick your ass myself!" I throw myself into the fight without hesitation. It's Daryl who grabs me and holds me back.

Shane starts to walk away, breaking free of the others. "Keep your hands off of me," he mutters.

"Now just let me talk to Hershel," Rick says to everyone. "Let me figure it out."

Shane stops and turns back to us to yell some more. "What are you gonna' figure out?"

"If we're gonna' stay, if we're gonna' clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land."

"Hershel sees those things as people," Dale says. "Sick people, his wife and stepson."

"You knew?" Rick questions.

"Yesterday I talked to him."

"And you waited the night?"

"I thought we could survive one more night and we did. I was waiting for morning to say something but Glenn wanted to be the one."

"The man is crazy Rick," Shane says. "If Hershel things those things are alive or no."

There's noise coming from the barn again so we all walk away for now.

Daryl pretty much drags me back to his tent. We sit together. "Why'd you stop me? Ya' should have let me hit him," I say.

"He would have hit ya' back," Daryl replies.

"Like I ain't ever been hit by a man before."

Daryl shakes his head. "It ain't worth it. I been a part of this group for a long time. You're new. You start hittin' people and it ain't gonna' look good."

"That's bullshit."

"I know."  
\---

Daryl and I are in the horse stable. I lean against a stall and watch him. "Be careful, okay?" I tell him.

He is moving around all of this horse equipment and some of it is heavy. "Yeah, I got it."

He shouldn't be moving around so much and lifting such heavy things but I'm not going to argue with him about it. I understand what that's like. I can be just as stubborn, insisting I'm fine and that I can do the work on my own.

Carol clearly doesn't understand. She comes running in trying to stop him. "You can't!" she tells him. 

"I'm fine," he insists.

"Hershel said you need to heal."

"I don't care."

"Well I do. Rick's going out there to follow the trail later."

"I ain't gonna' sit around and do nothin'," he tells her.

"No, you're gonna' go get yourself hurt worse. We don't know if we're gonna' find her....And I can't lose you too."

She's starting to cry. Daryl's anger flares, temper snapping. He throws the heavy horse saddle then cries out in pain immediately, holding his side.

"Are you alright?" she asks him, concerned.

"Leave me alone. Stupid bitch."

He walks away. I go after him quickly. "Daryl, wait," I say.

"Stay away from me! Why do you always gotta' follow me around like a lost puppy or somethin'? Don't you got anything better to do? You're so fucking annoying."

I have to admit that his words sting. He's the only person in the group that I really feel close to at all. But I know that he's angry and doesn't mean what he's saying. "Daryl..."

"Just shut up! Fuck!" He doubles over in pain, holding onto his side.

When I take a step closer I can see blood staining his shirt.

"Let me help ya' with that. You're bleedin'," I say.

"No," he shakes his head.

"Daryl, don't be a fuckin' baby and let me fix your fuckin' stitches. Then I can go away forever if that's what you fuckin' want. Do ya' want me to get Hershel out here?"

"Damn it woman, fine!"

I go get some supplies from the house. I don't explain much to Hershel because I don't think he needs the details. He's pissed off as it is, saying that our group is always using up supplies and getting into trouble. He suggests that maybe he should help with whatever it is and I'm not having that at all. "I don't need your help. I can handle it on my own. I ain't gonna' listen to you complain the whole time anyway."

I bring the supplies to Daryl's tent. He opens his shirt for me and winces as I peel back the bloody bandage. Some of the stitches have come loose so I have to fix it. I give him some pain medication.

"This is gonna' hurt like hell," I tell him.

"Go ahead and do it."

I don't know how this compares to having the arrow stuck in him but he manages not to scream which is good. It's clearly painful and I do what I have to do as quickly as possible. It's all cleaned up and bandaged again for him.

"Are ya' okay?" I ask him.

He nods. "Great."

"I know that you're angry," I say. "And ya' have every right to be. Carol shouldn't have said those things. She doesn't understand. But she cares about ya'. She didn't mean to upset ya'."

"Why do ya' even care? Why do ya' follow me around and not anyone else?"

"I don't need this shit," I tell him. "I'll leave if you're gonna' insult me. I get enough shit for hangin' around ya' so much."

"Why do ya' then?"

I shrug and try to think of a way to explain it. "We've spent time together and I feel like I can trust ya'. I feel like we can understand each other more than anyone else in the group would understand me. And I admire ya' for your strength and skills."

He seems uncomfortable with the praise but I'm uncomfortable having to explain it as well. "Alright...." he says.

"Alright," I leave and go return the supplies.


	6. Six

"I told Carol I was sorry," Daryl tells me.

"Good for you," I nod. I don't look up from where I'm tuning up a car.

"Look, I don't do this a lot...I just...I'm sorry, okay?"

I wipe my hands on a rag then rest them on my waist as I turn to face him. "Are ya?"

"I shouldn't a yelled at ya' or said that shit."

"I don't give a shit anymore. I don't need ya. I don't need anyone."

"Ya almost died out there. You're lucky you found us."

"I was survivin' just fine on my own."

"Ya' call that survivin'?"

"Fuck you," I turn to walk away.

"Wait!" he runs after me. "Don't go."

"Why not? None a ya'll like me. I know when I ain't wanted."

He hesitates. "Ya' can't."

"Why not? Are ya' gonna stop me?" I challenge.

"We're all family here. You're family now too. Ya' can't just leave."

"No one wants me here."

"That ain't true."

"Who wants me then?" I snap. "Who?"

"Rick and-"

"Don't bullshit me," I say. I turn again to leave.

He grabs onto my arm and I automatically react defensively, shoving him away so that he stumbles and almost falls down. "Christ!" he shouts.

"You're lucky I didn't punch ya. Don't fucking touch me."

"Fuck! I'm tryin' to tell ya' I want ya' here! Are ya' happy now? I want ya' here!"

"Why?"

"Cause I do. I ain't gotta' explain myself. Damn..."

"Fine," I say. "I'll stay."

He actually seems a little relived so I know that he's being truthful with me here. I'll have to take what I can get from him I guess. 

"Good," he nods. "Let's go see if Rick's back."

"Okay."

Of course Rick isn't back yet and we don't know why. Daryl isn't happy at all. "Damn it, why isn't anyone takin' this seriously? We got a damn trail!"

We're all gathered in front of the house together, Glenn, Carol, Maggie, Carl, T-dog, Andrea, and some of Hershel's people.

Finally Shane shows up but without Rick. He has all of these guns he's carrying. "What's all this?" Daryl asks.

"You with me, man?" Shane questions, holding a gun out to him. 

"Yeah." Daryl answers, accepting the gun. 

"Time to grow up." Shane says. "You already got yours?" He asks Andrea. 

"Yeah. Where's Dale?" 

"He's on his way."

"Thought we couldn't carry." T-Dog points out. 

"We can and we have to." Shane tells us. "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe. But now we know it ain't." He walks over to Glenn. "How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?" 

Glenn looks at Maggie then grabs the gun. "That's it. Can you shoot?" 

"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my dad will make you leave tonight," Maggie says. 

"What is this?" Lori arrives. 

"We ain't going anywhere, okay?" Shane assures us all. "Now look, Hershel, he's just gotta understand. Okay? He - well, he's gonna have to. Now we need to find Sophia. Am I right?" Shane heads to Carl, kneeling in front of him. "Now I want you to take this." He offers him a small gun in his hand. "You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it." 

Lori steps in front of Carl. "Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

"Oh shit." T-Dog exclaims. We all turn to see Jimmy, Rick and Hershel returning with two captured walkers. 

"What is that?" Shane runs towards them. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Shane, just back off." Rick tells him.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel questions. 

"Are you kidding me? You see? You see what they're holding onto?" Shane continues yelling. 

"I see who I'm holding onto." Hershel responds. 

"No, man, you don't." 

"Shane, just let us do this and then we can talk," Rick tries again. 

"What you want to talk about, Rick? These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're dead. Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill! These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us." 

"Shane, shut up!" Rick yells. 

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something. Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane suddenly shoots the walker that Hershel is holding on a lead stick. I flinch but don't say anything. We're all just staring with wide eyes.

"Stop it!" Rick demands. 

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that?! Why is it still coming?" Shane shoots repeatedly at the walker. "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?" Again and again he shoots. 

"Shane, enough." Rick snaps at him. 

"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough." Shane goes to the walker and shoots it in the head. "Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone! Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us. Enough. Rick, it ain't like it was before! Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now." He rushes to the barn door. 

"Listen to me, man, please." Rick sounds desperate. 

Shane hits the barn door with an axe, trying to break the lock. Rick attempts to stop him, but it's no use. Shane breaks the door open then steps back, holding his weapon as he waits for the walkers. One steps out then the others follow soon after. Shane starts shooting at them immediately then T-Dog, Daryl, Glenn and Andrea join him. There's no other choice so I join in as well, easily taking down walkers. I just focus and aim. I don't necessarily agree with how this all went down but there's nothing we can do now. We can't change it. We can't put them all back in the barn. Because the truth is, they really aren't people.

Finally the last walker is shot down and everything goes quiet. A few long moments pass and one of us really move. And then a growl breaks the silence, coming from inside the barn. A small walker steps out from it. It's a child. I have a moment where I wonder why no one is shooting it. There's tension in the air. And then I realize why everyone is hesitating.

"Sophia!" Carol falls to her knees, sobbing. She tries to crawl towards her daughter but Daryl wraps her in a strong embrace and holds her back. Time seems to move slowly. A lot of people are crying. Lori tries to cover Carl's eyes so he doesn't have to see. I don't know Sophia but I feel bad for her and for everyone who cared about her. I have my gun up but it's not really my place to do this. I'm new to the group and I can't push any buttons. This is their 'family'. They have to deal with it.

Eventually Rick walks in front of everyone, taking his gun out. He points the gun at her and after a moment of hesitation he pulls the trigger. Carol breaks free of Daryl and runs away from us all.


	7. Seven

I decide to help dig some of the graves. "We bury the ones we love and burn the rest," Andrea told us. So we do exactly that. I don't know these people that we are burying. Several people in the group tell me that I don't have to help out. But I do anyway. I feel like I should.

When we are ready, I go with Lori to get Carol from the RV. Daryl is in there as well, sitting across from her. "They're ready," Lori announces. 

Carol just shakes her head.

"Come on," Lori encourages her.

"Why?" she asks.

"Cause that's your little girl," Daryl tells her.

"That's not my little girl. That's some other thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought...She didn't cry herself to sleep. She didn't go hungry. She didn't try to find her way back. Sophia died a long time ago."

Lori leaves quickly and soon after Daryl follows. He's clearly upset with Carol. I leave when he does. There's nothing more for me or anyone to say to Carol right now.

Hershel's people and ours all gather around the graves. I stand with them out of respect for my group and the dead.

At some point Hershel disappears into town and Lori comes to me telling me that Beth needs medical help. "You've been helping Hershel with everyone, haven't you?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Beth is sick. She needs help."

"Okay, I'll take a look at her."

The girl is in some kind of unconscious state. She feels feverish and her heart is beating in a strange way. "What's wrong with her? Is she in shock?" Andrea questions.

"Kind of," I reply.

"Is she going to be okay? Is there anything we can do for her?"

"I think she will but there's not much we can do. She needs to decide that she wants to get better. She has to fight for it. All we can do is try to keep the fever down and let her rest."

I leave some of the women taking care of Beth's fever while I go look for Daryl. He's run off out into the field. He has moved his tent out there and his motorcycle. "What are ya' doin' out here?" I ask him.

"I could ask ya' the same question."

"I'm lookin' for ya' obviously. You runnin' away now?"

"I ain't runnin' away," he tells me.

"Sure looks like it."

"I didn't ask your opinion."

I take a seat on the ground, laying down my jean jacket like a blanket. I have on a ripped pair of jeans and a black tank top. I wipe some sweat off my brow and make myself comfortable. Daryl and I do our own thing, settling into a comfortable silence. I'm not going to try to get him to talk when I can see that he's in a bad mood. That is until Lori shows up and decides to disturb us.

"Moving to the suburbs?" she asks. "Listen, Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel."

"Yeah. So what?" Daryl replies.

"So I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back."

"Your bitch went window shopping. Ya want him? Fetch him yourself. I got better things to do."

"What's the matter with you? How can you be so selfish?" She demands.

"Selfish? Listen to me, Olive Oil, I was out there looking for that little girl every single day! I took a bullet and an arrow in the process. Don't ya' tell me about me getting my hands dirty! Ya want those two idiots? Have a nice ride. I'm done looking for people."

"Del..." she turns to me.

"No," I shake my head. "He's right. Get someone else to find your husband. Beth will be okay. Give Daryl a break."

She's clearly very angry as she storms away.

"Damn..." Daryl mutters.

"You okay?" I ask him.

"Yeah, whatever, stupid bitches..."

Later, Daryl shoots some squirrels with his arrows. I build a small fire and cook them over the flame. We both eat then relax until we get bothered again. This time it's Carol. Daryl is sitting by the fire and I am half asleep in the tent. "We can't find Lori and the others aren't back yet either." I hear Carol complain.

"Yeah...That dumb bitch must've gone off looking for 'em." Daryl tells her. 

"What?"

"Yeah, she asked me to go. I told her I was done being an errand boy."

"And you didn't say anything?" I hear her pause."Don't do this...please. I've already lost my girl."

"That wasn't my problem neither."

A few long moments of silence pass.

"What are ya doin?" Daryl asks her.

"Keeping an eye on you."

"Ain't you a peach?" I can hear in his voice that he's getting really angry with her now I can't completely blame him for that. She doesn't know when to take a step back and leave him alone. A lot of these people don't, apparently. No wonder he wanted to put his tent out here away from them.

"I'm not gonna let you pull away. You've earned your place."

"If ya spent half your time minding your daughter's business instead of sticking your nose in everybody else's, she'd still be alive!"

"Go ahead."

"Go ahead and what?"

"I mean just go! I don't want ya here! You're a real piece of work, lady. What, are ya gonna make this about my daddy or some crap like that? Man, you know Jack. You're afraid. You're afraid 'cause you're all alone. You got no husband, no daughter. Ya don't know what to do with yourself. You ain't my problem! Sophia wasn't mine! All ya had to do was keep an eye on her!"

It's a bit harsh but I understand where all of his feeling is coming from. I'd be upset if I was him too. It was all building and building and finally Carol has pushed him to his breaking point so he's snapping at her. She's crying as she leaves.

A few moments later he comes into the tent and lays down near me. Again, we don't say much to each other. I know that he doesn't want to talk right now and needs time to cool off. I fall back asleep soon.

It's still dark when I wake up from a nightmare. My heart is racing. I'm gasping for breath. My body is damp with sweat. There are tears spilling down my cheeks. "It's okay," Daryl is saying. He places a hand on my shoulder as I sit up.

I sniffle and try to wipe my face on the sleeve of my jacket. "I dreamed about my sister...Sorry I woke ya."

"It's alright."

"I don't need you." The tears keep trying to fall and I hate it. It's pathetic. I don't want him to see me crying. My chest hurts. "I ain't afraid to be alone like Carol."

"I know."

I meet his gaze.

"I know," he repeats. "Ya' don't need anyone. You're tougher than her. I get it."

"Okay..."

He pats my shoulder gently like he's trying to comfort me. I lay down again, finally getting a hold of myself. He lays down as well and I move closer to him, resting my head on his chest. He tenses at first, surprised. And then after a few moments he relaxes. We both fall back asleep.


	8. Eight

The next day I get ready to go with the group to find Rick. Before we can leave, a car pulls up and it's them returning. Rick and Glenn and Hershel. There's a guy who is blindfolded in the backseat."Who the hell is that?" T-Dog questions.

"That's Randall." Glenn informs us.

"Delilah, come inside and help," Hershel tells me.

I nod and go inside the house. The guy Randall needs surgery on his wounded leg. Hershel doesn't talk to me other than to give me directions and that's fine with me.

I can kind of hear everyone gathering in the living room talking. They send Carl away. "We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out, if he lived that long. It's gotten bad in town," Rick is saying.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asks.

Hershel and I are finished with the guy's leg so we go out to join the others.

"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage. Won't be on his feet for at least a week," Hershel announces.

"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way," Rick states.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea questions.

"He'll have a fighting chance."

Daryl walks in from outside and stands near me. 

"Just gonna let him go?" Shane asks. "He knows where we are." 

"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat," Rick tells them.

"Not a threat. How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just ain't gonna come looking?" Shane demands.

"They left him for dead. No one is looking!"

"We should still post a guard," T-Dog suggests.

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours," Hershel comments.

"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy. Look at this, folks... We back in fantasy land." Shane is clearly angry now.

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet," Hershel says. "Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all...This is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor... Keep your mouth shut."

Shane storms away.

"Look, We're not gonna do anything about it today. Let's just cool off," Rick says.

The group all splits up and goes their separate ways.  
\---

A day later, Daryl is interrogating Randall in the barn where he is tied up. I stand outside the barn, waiting and listening. I can hear him beating the guy up.

"I told you-" Randall starts.

"You told me shit!" Daryl exclaims.

"I barely knew those guys. I met 'em on the road."

"How many in your group?"

"No, no, no, come on, man."

"How many?"

"Uh, 30."

"Where?"

"I don't know. I swear. We were never anyplace more than a night."

"Scouting? Planning on staying local?"

"I don't know. They left me behind."

"Did you ever pick off a scab?" Daryl is torturing him with his words as well as his actions.

"Come on, man! I'm-I'm trying to cooperate."

"Start real slow at first. No. Sooner or later, you've just gotta rip it off."

"Okay. Okay. They have weapons...heavy stuff, automatics. But I didn't do anything."

"Your boys shot at my boys, tried to take this farm. You just went along for the ride? You're trying to tell me you're innocent?"

"Yes!" Randall shouts.

"These people took me in. Not just guys...a whole group of 'em. Men and women, kids too, just like you people. Thought I'd have a better chance with them, you know? But...we go out, scavenge...just the men. One night, we found this little campsite. A man and his two daughters..teenagers, you know? Real young. Real cute. Their daddy had to watch while these guys...they...and they didn't even kill him afterwards. They just...they just made him watch as his daughters...they just left him there. No, but I didn't touch those girls. No, I swear. I didn't. Please. Please. You gotta believe me, man. I'm not like that. I ain't like that. Please. Please, you gotta believe me."

Daryl is surprised to see me there when he walks out. "Ya' hear all that?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"And...?"

I shrug. "Ya' did what ya' had to do."

"You ain't grossed out or nothin?"

"No, what did ya' do to him?"

"Roughed him up some, stuck my knife in his wound."

"Ya did? Ya know I worked on his leg, fixin' it."

"I didn't really fuck it up, just made it hurt."

"Okay."

"Are ya' mad at me?"

"No."

It made me feel a little sick to hear but mostly because of what Randall had told Daryl.

"What do ya' think about this guy? Ya' think we should keep him?"

I shake my head. "I don't trust him and I want to get rid of him."

"Guess we gotta' tell the others what I found out."

We head over to where the group is gathered around a fire they made in the camp.

"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men," Daryl informs them. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna...they're gonna wish they were."

"What did you do?" Carol asks him the same thing I already asked him.

But she doesn't get the completely honest answer I got.

"Had a little chat," he says.

She looks disgusted. And there is one of the differences between me and her.

"No one goes near this guy," Rick tells everyone.

"Rick, what are you gonna do?" Lori questions.

"We have no choice. He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale gasps.

"It's settled. I'll do it today."

He and Dale walk away from the group to talk it over before the group can really weigh in an opinion on it all.

Daryl and I go sit in the field quietly, doing our own things. Dale walks over to us."The whole point of me comin' up here is to get away from you people," Daryl tells him.

"Gonna take more than that," Dale replies.

"Carol send you?"

"Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you, your new role in the group."

"Oh, man, I don't need my head shrunk. This group's broken. I'm better off fending for myself."

"You act like you don't care."

"Yeah, it's 'cause I don't."

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale is obviously upset.

"Nope."

"Then why not stand with me, try to save the kid's life, if it really doesn't matter one way or the other?"

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch."

"Your opinion makes a difference."

"Man, ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothing."

"Carol is, and I am. Right now. And you obviously have Rick's ear. And Delilah, she obviously cares."

I've been kind of sitting on the sidelines trying to stay out of it. Now I have to say something. "Don't fuckin' bring me into this," I tell him.

"Rick just looks to Shane. Let him," Daryl says.

"You cared about what happened to Sophia. Cared what it meant to the group. Torturing people? That isn't you. You're a decent man. So is Rick. Shane...he's different."

"Why's that? 'Cause he killed Otis?"

"He tell you that?"

"He told some story...How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He showed up with the dead guy's gun. Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't wanna. It's like I said- Group's broken."

Daryl and I walk away to hunt, leaving Dale behind. "Bastard," Daryl mutters.

"The group really is broken, isn't it?" I ask him.

He shrugs.

"Do ya' really think you're better off alone?"

"Do you?"

"Sometimes...but I ain't really. It's tough out there."

"You're pretty tough."

"Would ya' rather have me stay with the rest of the group then up here with ya? Ya told Dale ya come up here to be away from everyone."

"I don't care where ya' want to stay."

"Okay," I say. It's the best I'm going to get from him so I'll take it. We stay quiet the rest of the time as we hunt. Every so often he teaches me some things about tracking. Eventually we have to come back to the house to vote on what we think should be done with Randall.


	9. Nine

"So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Glenn asks.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea questions.

"How about majority rules?" Carol suggests.

"Well, let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through the options," Rick decides.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward," Shane comments.

"Killing him, right? I mean, why even bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing," Dale says.

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know," Rick says.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group. Maybe just me and Glenn."

"Look, I think you're pretty much right about everything, all the time, but this-" Glenn protests.

"They've got you scared."

"He's not one of us. And we've lost too many people already."

"How about you? Do you agree with this?" Dale asks Maggie.

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" Maggie questions.

"Just another mouth to feed," Daryl mumbles.

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel adds.

"We could ration better," Lori offers.

"Well, he could be an asset. Give him a chance to prove himself," Dale says.

"Put him to work?" Glenn asks.

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick argues.

"We could put an escort on him," Maggie says.

"Who wants to volunteer for that duty?" Shane questions.

"I will," Dale offers.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick shakes his head.

"He's right. I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up," Lori agrees.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor," Andrea points out.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice. We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men," Shane says.

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt? If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There is no civilization," Dale says.

"Oh, my God," Shane exclaims. 

"Could you drive him further out? Leave him like you planned?" Hershel asks.

"You barely came back this time. There are walkers. You could break down. You could get lost," Lori says.

"Or get ambushed," Daryl adds.

"They're right. We shouldn't put our own people at risk," Glen says.

"If you go through with it, how would you do it? Would he suffer?" One of Hershel's people questions.

"We could hang him, right? Just snap his neck," Shane suggests.

"I thought about that. Shooting may be more humane," Rick replies.

"And what about the body? Do we bury him?" T-Dog asks.

"Hold on, hold on! You're talking about this like it's already decided," Dale protests.

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles. You just wanna go around in circles again?" Daryl says.

"This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five-minute conversation! Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

"We all know what needs to be done," Shane says.

"No, Dale is right. We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility," Rick responds.

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea questions.

"Let Rick finish," Lori says.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could."

"So let's work on it!" Dale says.

"We are," Shane replies.

"Stop it. Just stop it. I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting. I didn't ask for this. You can't ask us to decide something like this. Please decide...either of you, both of you...but leave me out of it," Carol complains.

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself...there's no difference," Dale insists.

"All right, that's enough. Anybody who wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance," Rick says.

There's a moment of silence. Then Dale turns to me again.

"Delilah, you were a stranger and we took you into the group. Why not help this guy? You're a part of this group. Your opinion matters too."

I ultimately do want to help people but I also know when to be tough. I know that the world is tough and some people really suck. I think Randall is one of those people that isn't good and can't be trusted around the group.

"I don't trust him," I tell Dale.

My group was good people, this guy Randall comes from a terrible group that attacked people in our group. It's a different situation. I wish there was something else we could do with this guy but there doesn't seem to be any other options.

Dale shakes his head like he's disappointed in me. Then he turns to Rick saying "You once said that we don't kill the living."

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us," Rick points out.

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were...the world that we knew is dead. And this new world is ugly. It's...harsh. It's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't wanna live in, and I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right. Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

"He's right. We should try to find another way," Andrea nods.

"Anybody else?" Rick asks.

No one responds.

"Are y'all gonna watch, too? No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a part of it. This group is broken." Dale says before walking out angrily.

Later that night, Rick and Shane and Daryl go to take care of Randall. I stay around the camp doing some chores because I don't really care to be around a guy like that. But after a while, Rick comes back and says he couldn't do it because Carl walked in so for now we are keeping him in custody.

Not long after this announcement, there's yelling in the field. We all go running with lanterns and weapons drawn. Daryl gets there first then me and the others are close behind. There is a walker on top of Dale. Daryl quickly gets the walker off of him and stabs it in the head yelling to everyone "Over here! Help!" He tells Dale "Hang in there buddy."

Rick yells for Hershel while I kneel down with Dale. His intestines are all exposed. It's a bad scene. Just by looking at him now I know that he isn't going to make it. There's nothing we can do for him. Hershel and his people run out and they tell Rick the same thing.

Everyone is sobbing. Andrea cries that he's suffering and begs someone to do something. Rick has his gun out but he can't do it. Finally Daryl takes the gun from him and tells Dale "Sorry brother." then he pulls the trigger.

I find myself once again impressed by Daryl. When we are laying in his tent together I tell him as much. "Ya' did good. Ya' did what had to be done."

"You would've done it. Ya' could have done it. I know it."

"That's true. I would've and could've done it, but it wasn't my place. Maybe I'm part of this group now but not as much as ya'll. I'm still the new person."

"Your place...your place is here with us, broken group or not."

I move closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder. We sleep.


	10. Ten

It's afternoon when Daryl, Shane, Andrea, T-Dog, and I go around securing the place. We check and repair fences and we take down any walkers we see. We aren't supposed to use guns because we don't want to risk drawing any more to the farm with the noise. Daryl uses his arrows and I use my dagger. We take down a group of them then head back in time for Dale's funeral at sunset. We all stand together as Rick gives a speech.

"Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it  
one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us...the truth...who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to un-break it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives...our safety...our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on...we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."

It's a really nice speech and the group seems to agree that we all need to work together. There's an obvious change among us all with Dale's passing. Maybe this change will be a good thing. Maybe the group won't have to be broken.  
\---

The next day we all move into Hershel's house. "It'll be tight, 14 people in one house," Rick says.

"Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..." Hershel replies.

"With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell," Maggie comments.

"She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago," Hershel says.

"All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines both sides of the property. T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going," Rick instructs.

"What about standing guard?" T-Dog questions.

"I need you and Daryl on double duty."

"Gotcha."

"I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be," Hershel offers.

"What about patrols?" Andrea asks.

"Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Shane will assign shifts while me and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose," Rick answers.

"We're back to that now?" Shane asks.

"It was the right plan first time around. Poor execution."

"That's a slight understatement."

"You don't agree, but this what's happening. Swallow it. Move on."

"You know that Dale's death and the prisoner...that's two separate things, right? You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest."

"Thank you."

I help everyone moving things into the house. Even Daryl and I are moving in with the rest of the group. Something interrupts us all though. It's Shane running over with a bloody nose. He tells us Randall punched him and escaped into the woods. He says Randall took his gun too so he's somewhere close by, armed and dangerous. Rick instructs us all to go inside. Then he, Shane, Daryl, and Glenn all go off to track Randall down.

I go inside with the rest of the group, continuing to help wherever I can. I keep thinking about the whole situation which I find a little sketchy. I don't see how Randall could have gotten the best of Shane and attacked him like that. I don't trust either one of them, Shane or Randall. Something strange is definitely going on but I don't know what.

It's starting to get later at night and we are all worried about them. "I'm going after them," Andrea announces.

"Don't!" Lori stops her. "They could be anywhere. And if Randall comes back, we're gonna need you here."

The door opens and it's Glenn and Daryl returning. I am relieved to see them.

"Rick and Shane ain't back?" Daryl asks us.

"No," Lori answers.

"We heard a shot."

"Maybe they found Randall."

"We found him. He's a walker."

My eyes widen at this new information. What happened out there? Where are Rick and Shane? And this walker problem is starting to look bad. How many walkers are there around this farm?

"Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel questions.

"No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit," Glenn informs us.

My face scrunches up in confusion. If he wasn't bit, how was he a walker?

"His neck was broke," Daryl adds. "The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. And Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. They were together."

I was right about one thing. There was definitely sketchy going on with Shane and Randall.

"Would you please get back out there, find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" Lori asks him.

"You got it," he nods.

"Thank you."

My instinct is to go with them but they may need me at the house if anything happens. Rick and Shane are still out there and I have no idea what's going on with them. I don't know how Shane will be acting when he comes back to the house. And there's walkers out there. I don't like any of this. I don't like Daryl and Glenn going out there in the dark but I know I have to stay here to protect the group.

Before Daryl and Glenn can even leave, there's something even bigger we have to worry about. We gather on the porch and look out into the distance. There's the biggest herd of walkers I've ever seen in my life. It seems impossible that there are so many together at once. They are all coming this way.

"Patricia, kill the lights," Hershel instructs Otis's wife.

"I'll get the guns," Andrea offers.

"Maybe they're just passing, like the herd on the highway. Should we just go inside?" Glenn asks.

"Not unless there's a tunnel downstairs I don't know about. A herd that size would rip the house down," Daryl tells him.

"Carl's gone!" Lori rushes out from inside the house.

"What?" Daryl turns to her.

"He... he was upstairs. I can't find him anymore."

"Maybe he's hiding," Glenn suggests.

"He's supposed to be upstairs. I'm not leaving without my boy."

"We're not. We're gonna look again. We're gonna find him," Carol assures her.

Maggie loads a gun for herself and holds it up. Glenn seems surprised. "You grow up country, you pick up a thing or two," she says.

"I got the number... It's no use," Daryl says.

"You can go if you want," Hershel tells him.

"You gonna take 'em all on?"

"We have guns. We have cars."

"Kill as many as we can, and we'll use the cars to lead the rest of them off the farm," Andrea says.

"Are you serious?" Daryl asks.

"This is my farm. I'll die here," Hershel replies.

"All right. It's as good a night as any," Daryl shrugs.


	11. Eleven

We all have guns. Some of us are still on the porch and scattered around the farm while others are in their vehicles shooting from windows. I'm standing not far from where Daryl is on his motor cycle. I can hear him telling Jimmy, who is driving the RV, to go to the barn. It's on fire and he thinks it must be Shane and Rick who set it which means they are probably trying to get out.

It's not too long before people start to decide to leave the farm. We have no choice but to abandon it. There are too many walkers. Carol, Beth, and Lori make it to a truck that T-Dog is driving but I can hear screaming in the distance. I don't know how many people we are losing. I don't have time to worry about it.

"C'mon," Daryl tells me, motioning for me to get on the back of his motorcycle.

I don't hesitate. I run over and climb on. I holster my gun and wrap my arms around his waist, tight enough to help me balance but not so tight that he can't breathe. I lean with him without over-correcting and sending us both flying into a ditch. I keep my head down, pressed close against his back. It's not the first time I've been on the back of a bike. I've even driven one a couple times though I'm not all that experienced with it. A guy who helped out at my dad's auto shop had a motorcycle and sometimes he let me go for rides. He was actually a sweet guy who would take me out for ice cream and stuff like that but I wasn't real interested in him honestly.

We travel for a while and at some point we actually manage most of the others. We are all heading in the same direction, to the highway where they first broke down before coming to Hershel's. It has to be where Rick is. He has to be waiting for all of us.

And sure enough he is. "Where'd you find everyone?" he asks.

"Well, those guys' tail lights zigzagging all over the road... figured he had to be Asian, driving like that," Daryl jokes.

"Good one," Glenn chuckles.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl asks.

"We're the only ones who made it so far," Rick says.

"Shane?" Lori asks.

Rick shakes his head.

"Andrea?" Glenn questions.

"She saved me, then I lost her," Carol tells him.

"We saw her go down," T-Dog says.

"Patricia?" Hershel asks.

"They got her, too. Took her right in front of me," Beth cries. "I was...I was holdin' onto her, daddy. She just...what about Jimmy? Did you see Jimmy?" 

"He was in the RV. It got overrun," Rick answers.

"You definitely saw Andrea?" Carol questions.

"There were walkers everywhere," Lori comments.

"Did you see her?" Carol asks again.

There's no answer.

"I'm gonna go back," Daryl announces.

"No," Rick stops him.

"We can't just leave her."

"We don't even know if she's there," Lori points out.

"She isn't there. She isn't. She's somewhere else or she's dead. There's no way to find her," Rick says.

"So we're not even gonna look for her?" Glenn asks.

"We gotta keep moving. There have been walkers crawling all over here."

"I say head east," T-Dog suggests.

"Stay off the main roads. The bigger the road, the more walkers, more assholes like this one," Daryl says, looking at the walker approaching us. "I got him." He shoots the walker with an arrow, killing it.

We travel until Rick has to stop. When his car stops we all stop and walk over to each other. "You out?" Daryl asks him if he ran out of gasoline for his car.

"Running on fumes," he answers.

"We can't stay here," Maggie says.

"We can't all fit in one car," Glenn points out.

"We'll have to make a run for some gas in the morning," Rick decides.

"Spend the night here?" Carol asks.

"I'm freezing," Carl complains.

"We'll build a fire," Lori assures him.

"You go out lookin' for firewood, stay close. Only got so many arrows," Daryl tells them. "How you doin' on ammo?" he asks Rick.

"Not enough," Rick answers.

"Del?" he asks me.

"Not much," I shrug.

"We can't just sit here with our asses hanging out!" Maggie exclaims.

"Watch your mouth," Hershel scolds her. "Everyone stop panicking and listen to Rick."

"All right, we'll set up a perimeter. In the morning, we'll find gas and some supplies. We'll keep pushing on," Rick instructs us.

"Glenn and I can go make a run now, try and scrounge up some gas," Maggie offers.

"No, we stay together. God forbid something happens and people get stranded without a car."

"Rick, we're stranded now," Glenn points out.

"I know it looks bad, we've all been through hell and worse, but at least we found each other. I wasn't sure... I really wasn't... but we did. We're together. We keep it that way. We'll find shelter somewhere. There's gotta be a place."

"Rick, look around. Okay? There's walkers everywhere. They're migrating or something."

"There's gotta be a place not just where we hole up, but that we fortify, hunker down, pull ourselves together, build a life for each other. I know it's out there. We just have to find it."

"Even if we do find a place and we think it's safe, we can never be sure," Maggie argues. "For how long? Look what happened with the farm. We fooled ourselves into thinking that that was safe."

"We won't make that mistake again," Hershel promises.

"We'll make camp tonight over there, get on the road at the break of day," Rick tells us.

"Does this feel right to you?" Carol asks everyone.

No one says anything.

"What if walkers come through, or another group like Randall's?" Beth asks.

"You know I found Randall, right?" Daryl says. "He had turned, but he wasn't bit."

"How's that possible?" Beth asks.

We are all wondering the same thing.

"Rick, what the hell happened?" Lori demands.

"Shane killed Randall. Just like he always wanted to," Rick admits.

"And then the herd got him?"

"We're all infected."

My heart nearly stops. He can't be serious.

"What?" Daryl asks.

"At the CDC, Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it."

A sick sense of dread fills me.

"And you never said anything?" Carol asks him.

"Would it have made a difference?" he responds.

"You knew this whole time?" Glenn questions.

"How could I have known for sure? You saw how crazy that -"

"That is not your call. Okay, when I found out about the walkers in the barn, I told, for the good of everyone."

"Well, I thought it best that people didn't know."

Rick and Lori suddenly walk off a bit to talk. After a few moments, Lori comes back but Rick stays to himself. The group builds a fire. It's getting dark and chilly. 

"We're not safe with him...Keeping something like that from us. Why do you need him? He's just gonna pull you down." I hear Carol whispering to Daryl.

"No. Rick's done all right by me," he tells her.

"You're his henchman and I'm a burden. You deserve better."

To me she sounds like she's being a manipulative bitch. She just wants her way.

"What do you want?"

"A man of honor."

"Rick has honor," Daryl insists.

"I think we should take our chances," Maggie is saying.

"Don't be foolish. There's no food, no fuel, no ammo," Hershel tells her.

There's a noise in the woods distantly.

"What was that?" Beth asks.

"Could be anything," Daryl shrugs. "Could be a raccoon, could be a possum."

"Walker," Glenn adds.

Rick comes back to the group. "The last thing we need is for everyone to be running off in the dark. We don't have the vehicles. No one's traveling on foot," he says.

"Don't panic," Hershel tells us.

"I'm not...I'm not sitting here, waiting for another herd to blow through. We need to move, now," Maggie says.

"No one is going anywhere," Rick tells her.

"Do something," Carol pleads.

"I am doing something!" He exclaims. "I'm keeping this group together, alive. I've been doing that all along, no matter what. I didn't ask for this. I killed my best friend for you people, for Christ's sake! You saw what he was like, how he pushed me, how he compromised us, how he threatened us. He staged the whole Randall thing, led me out to put a bullet in my back. He gave me no choice. He was my friend, but he came after me. My hands are clean. Maybe you people are better off without me. Go ahead. I say there's a place for us, but maybe... maybe it's just another pipe dream. Maybe... maybe I'm fooling myself again. Why don't you... Why don't you go and find out yourself? Send me a postcard. Go on, there's the door. You can do better? Let's see how far you get. No takers? Fine. But get one thing straight... you're staying. This isn't a democracy anymore."

I get up from where I'm sitting and walk away. Rick has pissed me off severely. I don't know why he's throwing such a bitch fit but I'm not going to sit here and take it. Daryl chases after me before I can get very far. "Wait, where ya goin?"

"Fuck this!" I turn to face him. "Who the hell does he think he is? This isn't a democracy anymore? What is that supposed to mean? The group's supposed to work together. That's what he said when Dale died. Now he's suddenly throwing this bitch fit sayin' he's the boss and we all just gotta' take it? We don't get any say now? He didn't even...he just tells us we're all infected and then oh well too bad, this isn't a democracy. I ain't gonna' sit here and let him shove me around like my daddy did. He ain't my daddy. He ain't no one."

"Rick just needs to call off," Lori walks over.

"Shut up! I ain't askin' your opinion."

She backs off.

"Rick's a good man," Daryl tells me.

"A lot of people said the same thing about my daddy."

"Rick's not gonna' hurt ya."

"Cause I'm gonna leave. I ain't taking no one's shit."

"Del..."

"I ain't gonna' let him do this to me."

"He's not gonna' do nothin."

"How do you know?"

"I won't let him."

Tears are annoyingly blurring my vision. I brush some hair out of my face and take a deep breath.

"C'mon Del," he encourages.

"Fine." I walk back to the group with him.

"I'm sorry Delilah," Rick apologizes. "I didn't mean to-"

"Leave me alone," I warn him.

"Alright," he nods.


	12. Twelve

Winter comes and we travel from place to place trying to stay safe. We manage to get through without too many incidents. At one point I come down sick and Daryl sits with me a lot, bringing me what I need. I tell him he doesn't have to and worry he'll get sick but he shrugs it off. The women help to care for me as well and luckily it passes within a few days. Then there are a few other incidents....

Daryl's injured pretty badly. He's got a large gash going across his chest. I have to put stitches in his skin so that he can heal and stop bleeding everywhere. I concentrate on what I'm doing and try not to think about the fact that this is Daryl. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him.

When he wakes up he tries to sit up but I stop him. "Lay down. You'll fuck up the stitches I put in ya."

He frowns at me disapprovingly but does as I say. "Hurts like a bitch."

"Well, that'll teach ya' to stop doin' dumb shit. Ya could have gotten yourself killed."

"I was tryin' to help ya."

"I was alright. I could have killed those walkers myself."

"You were trapped and you know it."

I sigh. "Maybe."

"You shouldn't be talkin about no heroes anyway. You ran in there after me."

"There were so many walkers...I couldn't let ya go by yourself."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few hours. I was worried."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," I nod, meeting his gaze. "Ya know...I didn't run in there to play no hero. I didn't give ya these stitches to play hero. I just...don't want to lose no one else. I lost enough people. I don't know what I'd do if you..."

He gives me this questioning expression at first but then the expression softens and understanding fills his gaze. "Yeah," he nods. "I don't want to lose no one else either."

I lay down with him, so close that our bodies touch. I carefully rest my head on his shoulder and his arm goes around me. We sleep like that for a few hours. The sun is just starting to rise when I wake up. I must have had a bad dream but I don't remember it. I just wake up saying Daryl's name, gasping, heart beating fast. He's still there at my side and he reassures me.

"Hey, I'm right here."

I take a deep breath and nod, looking into his eyes. I tell myself to calm down. He's alright. I'm alright. Everything is okay.

"I think...I was worried that you..." I say.

He brushes some hair, damp with sweat, back out of my face. I realize our faces are only inches apart. And then there's no more distance between us. Our lips meet.

There's an agonizing moment when I pull back a little. I look at his face, trying to see how he's reacting. I don't even know why I kissed him. I feel like I could have a heart attack. He seems like he doesn't know what to make of what just happened and neither do I. So I bury my face against his shoulder and his arm goes back around me. Neither one of us say anything.

The next day I help with chores and stuff as usual but I make sure to check in on Daryl often. He's doing really well actually and I know soon he'll be all healed up. We still don't talk about the kiss, even when I sleep snuggled up to him again at night.

Sometimes people try to question me or Daryl about our relationship. I can't really blame them. It has to look strange, me and Daryl sleeping next to each other every night. But they aren't getting any answers from me or Daryl. We call them crazy and tell them to mind their own business. We're not comfortable talking about things like that with people. And honestly I don't either one of us really knows how to describe this. It's just...us. It's just what happened. I sleep next to him because I do. There's no real explanation for it. I was having a rough time when I joined the group. Not only with my nightmares but with fitting in and with Shane and all that. I felt most comfortable around Daryl. He was the closest thing I had to a friend. And so that's where I stayed and that's where I continue to stay. Daryl and I don't even talk about it with each other so why would we talk about it with other people? The way I look at it is, it doesn't have to be talked about. It's just the way things are.

For a while there's no more kisses, it just goes back to what's normal for us. That is until we're out scavenging and I run into some trouble. Afterwards, Daryl and I are laying together on a floor in this house. It rained on our way back and I'm soaked with rain, shivering. I didn't wear my jacket, just a long sleeved tee. Now I'm freezing. "Ya gotta' get outta' those wet clothes," he tells me.

"Don't look," I say.

He grumbles about it but looks away. I turn my back to him as I strip out of my clothes. I pull on my only other pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and an old hoodie. I throw my jean jacket on over the sweater but I still shiver.

"Damn," Daryl says. "Here, take this. Don't need ya gettin' sick again." He takes off his new poncho and places it over me, wrapping me in it like a blanket.

"Thanks," I tell him.

"I got ya," he assures me, wrapping his arms around me as I snuggle closer for warmth.

"Thank you...for what ya' did out there..."

"It was nothin'."

"It wasn't nothin. Those guys...they were gonna..." I can't say it. I can't say that they were threatening to rape me. But he knows. It was obvious what was going on. He beat the shit out of them.

"Bastards," he shakes his head. "They won't be hurtin' ya now."

"Really Daryl...thank you...for everything."

"It's nothin," he repeats.

"I'm so cold."

He pushes my hair back from my face since it's still wet and he rubs my arms and back to warm me. I press myself against him for body heat.

"Are my lips turnin' blue yet?" I ask, jokingly.

He looks at my lips in the dark, leaning in close. "Don't think so."

And then the distance closes once more. We kiss for the second time now.


	13. Thirteen

Winter has passed. We are constantly on the move, finding shelter and supplies wherever we can. Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Carl decide they will go into this abandoned house and kill any walkers inside. The group is supposed to wait until it's all clear. "I'll go in too," I offer, pulling out my dagger. Daryl will use his arrows. The others have silencers on their guns because we don't want to attract more walkers.

"Alright," Rick nods. "Let's go."

There aren't too many walkers inside the house luckily. Once we get inside we all split up and search the house, eventually meeting up again when it's over. I kill one walker, letting it get close then kicking it down to the floor and stabbing it in the head.

It seems Daryl has killed more than just walkers. He has an owl to eat. Food is now a precious commodity. Winter has made it difficult for us. We're all so hungry.

The rest of the group is let inside and we gather in the living room. I watch Daryl picking feathers off of his bird. Before any of us can really say or do much, T-dog points out the window. There is a herd of walkers coming towards the house. We hurry to sneak out the back. Daryl leads the group to the cars, Rick bringing up the rear. Everyone seems to get into their vehicles just in time. I hop on the back of Daryl's bike as usual.

We drive for a while but eventually stop on a road together. We all get out of the vehicles and gather around. Some of us keep an eye out for walkers while the rest of us look at a map. "We’ve got no place left to go," T-Dog shakes his head.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we’ll be cut off, we’ll never make it south," Maggie comments.

"What do you say, it’s about 150 head?" Daryl asks.

"That was last week," Glenn answers. "Could be twice that now."

"This river could have delayed them," Hershel suggest. "If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through this."

"Yeah, but if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way," T-Dog replies.

"So we’re blocked," Maggie frowns.

"Only thing to do is double back at 27th and swing towards Greenville," Rick tells us.

"We picked through that already," T-Dog says. "It’s like we spent the winter going in circles."

"Yeah, I know," Rick nods. "At Newnan we’ll push west. Haven’t been through the area. We can’t keep going house to house. We need to find some place to hold up for a few weeks."

"Alright. Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out?" T-Dog questions. "It won’t take long. We gotta fill up on water, we can boil it later."

Rick and Hershel separate from the group momentarily to discuss things. When they are done, Daryl says to Rick "Hey, while the others wash their panties, let’s go hunt. That owl didn’t exactly hit the spot."

I stay to help the group with whatever I can while Rick and Daryl go off hunting. It's while they are away walking along the railroad tracks that they find the prison.  
\---

Rick cuts the wire around the prison with pliers. We all hurry inside the wire so that we are standing in an alley that goes around the prison. Glenn and Daryl close the wire up quickly behind us. Walkers try to get in but the wire holds them back. Daryl opens a door for us. The alley stops there. There's a courtyard filled with walkers, and then the prison. "It’s perfect," Rick says. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We’ll take the field by tonight."

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel questions.

"I’ll do it. You guys cover me," Glenn volunteers.

"No, it’s a suicide run." Maggie shakes her head.

"I’m the fastest," Glenn argues.

"No," Rick tells him. "You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there , pop them through the fence. Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you’ve become a pretty good shot, take your time, we don’t have a lot of ammo to waste. Del, go with Daryl and Carol. Hershel, you and Carl, take this tower. I’ll run for the gate."

Everybody hurries to get into position. Glenn, T-Dog, Maggie and Beth draw the walkers by screaming, and kill them by stabbing them in the head through the fence. Lori opens the door for Rick. He runs towards the prison, shooting walkers who get in his way. Those of us in the towers are shooting the walkers in the courtyard that are making their way towards Rick. Carol nearly shoots Rick by mistake and apologizes quickly to him. I roll my eyes but stay focused on my own shooting.

Rick finally manages to shut the gate. He goes into the tower there and closes the door. Walkers throw themselves at the door but they can't get in.

"He did it!" Carol cheers.

"Light it up!" Daryl instructs.

We finish killing off the rest of the walkers in the courtyard. When we are done, we all meet up together.

It's getting dark and we build a campfire, gathering around it. We eat some meat. It's not much but it puts something in my stomach at least. Rick keeps going around the prison checking for holes in the fences. Daryl is standing watch on top of an overturned prison bus. I go around checking the fences too and then when I'm sure we are set, I sit down away from the group and eat.

During the winter I did find my place in the group. It's not that I'm a total outsider or that I don't like them. I do like them. But sometimes I just like to have my own space. I can hear Beth singing. Carol walks past me to bring food to Daryl. At some point, Rick, Carol, Daryl, and I all join the group by the fire. Rick goes over the plan.

"Look, I know we’re all exhausted. This was a great win. But we gotta push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards or prisoners, looks like this place fell pretty early. Could mean the supplies may be intact. They have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" Daryl asks.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away," Rick nods. "Warden’s offices would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine, this place could be a gold mine!"

"We’re dangerously low on ammo," Hershel points out. "We’ll run out before we make a dent.

That’s why we gotta go in there. Hand to hand. After all we’ve been through, we can handle it, I know it. These assholes don’t stand a chance."

We all settle down for the night where we are. I sleep on the ground near Daryl, not touching but close enough. The next day it's time to follow through with Rick's plan.

Rick opens the door that leads to the courtyard. T-Dog, Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Glenn, and I go in with Rick. We start stabbing walkers in the head. The others are all trying to draw the walkers to the fence so they can stab them through the wire. We kill all the walkers in the first courtyard. "Almost there," Rick encourages us.  
There's another courtyard that's also filled with walkers. We all hide behind a wall. Two walkers come out of a vehicle. They’re dressed as guards so they have helmets on. Two others come out from behind the wall as well. It's not easy killing them with those helmets on but we manage it. When they're all dead we pause.

"Looks secure," Glenn says.

"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there," Daryl says. He points at one walker. "And that’s a civilian."

"So the interior could be overrun by walkers from outside the prison?" T-Dog asks.

"Well, if there’s walls down, then, what are we gonna do? We can’t rebuild this whole place," Glenn responds.

"We can’t risk a blind spot. We have to push in," Rick decides.

Daryl opens a door leading into the prison. We walk in and wind up in an empty cell block. Immediately we start to look for walkers. Rick goes upstairs and takes his keys off of a dead guard. He opens the door leading to all the cells so we can go in. There's some walkers upstairs so Daryl and Rick kill them and throw them downstairs. T-Dog carries the bodies outside. Finally we can let the rest of the group inside.

"What do you think?" Rick asks them.

"Home sweet home," Glenn announces.

"For the time being."

"It’s secure?" Lori asks.

"This cell block is."

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel questions.

"In the morning, we’ll find the cafeteria, and the infirmary," Rick tells him.

"We’ll sleep in the cells?" Beth asks.

"I found the keys on some guards," Rick informs her. "Daryl has a set too."

"I ain’t sleeping in no cage. I’ll take the perch," Daryl mutters. He goes upstairs and sleeps there on the floor. I get a cell to myself. I sleep there but at some point during the night, I wake up and sneak over to Daryl. I lay down with him and he wakes up with a startled gasp.

"It's just me," I whisper.

"You spooked me," he complains.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmares?" he asks.

"Kind of."

"It's alright," he says, wrapping his arms around me.

I snuggle up against him. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?" he gazes at me in the dark.

I move to kiss him. At first he tenses up but then he kisses me back. I lie on top of him as our kiss becomes more passionate. Finally I whisper to him "Let's take a walk to the tower, more privacy."

He hesitates for a moment then nods. "Okay."

He takes my hand and walks with me across the yard to the tower. I practically run up the stairs then my arms are around him, kissing him firmly. His arms go around my waist. I grab onto his wrists and move his hands to my ass. He gets the hint and gives my ass a squeeze. Our bodies press together.

I pull him down with me onto the floor. I break the kiss for a moment to pull off my shirt. I meet his gaze and for a moment we just look at each other silently. Then he starts to take his clothes off and it becomes a race to see who can get undressed the fastest.

It's been so long since I've done this. Sex hasn't exactly been on my mind a lot when it's a struggle to survive every day. And then suddenly this is happening... 

He kisses me and touches me all over. "Please," I say.

His fingers slip between my legs and I cry out, arching my back.

After a few moments he takes his fingers away, getting into position. He thrusts into me. As far as I know it's been about as long as it has for him as it has for me. We both are in desperate need of this. Neither one of us wants to take it slow right now. He thrusts into me roughly, going fast and hard. It doesn't take all that long before I'm crying out his name, shuddering with pleasure, digging my short nails into his back. And he follows me into bliss a few moments later.

We lay there for a while catching our breath. Then he says "We best get back before anyone notices we're missing."

"Yeah, okay," I nod.

We pull our clothes back on and walk back together. He lies down upstairs and I lay with him, snuggling up with my head on his chest. He covers us with his poncho.


	14. Fourteen

T-Dog, Daryl, Rick, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, and I are all busy preparing and arming ourselves. We are going to go farther into the prison. At first Rick tried to tell me to stay in case Lori needed medical help. I argued that we wouldn't be gone that long and everything would be fine. "I'm going," I finally insisted. "Tell Hershel to stay if you're so worried."

In the end he gave in. Hershel and I could both go. Carl wanted to but he told Carl that if something goes wrong he could be the only man left so he needed to stay.

We move very carefully along the corridors. I have my gun strapped into my thigh holster and my dagger in my hands. We need to use other weapons first because of the noise. We don't want to attract more walkers with our guns.

Glenn is tracing arrows on the walls so we can find our way back. Everything is kind of quiet and tense until suddenly we see a group of walkers around the turn. "Go back! Go back, move! This way!" Rick instructs. We run and the walkers are following close behind us.

Walkers manage to get in front of Glenn and Maggie, trapping them so that they can't go either way. We go around the turn but then Hershel shouts "We have to go back!"

"But which way?" Daryl asks.

We go into a nearby door and start searching for Glenn and Maggie. After a few moments we find them in a room. There is a walker on the floor, unmoving. It seems to be dead but as soon as Hershel walks near it, it bites onto his leg. It happens too fast for any of us to act in time to prevent it. He screams in pain and Rick shoots the walker.

"No, daddy! No!" Maggie cries.

More walkers are attracted by the noise. They come into the room on both sides. "Run!" Rick commands. He and Glenn hold Hershel up as we go. We manage to get a door open and get inside another room. They lay Hershel down on the floor. Daryl and T-dog struggle to keep the door shut.

"Delilah get over here!" Rick shouts to me.

I kneel down beside Hershel as Rick straps his belt around Hershel's leg to slow the bleeding. 

"Hold him down!" Rick tells us. "Only one way to keep him alive!"

He takes an axe and starts to cut off Hershel’s leg. Maggie, Glenn, and I hold him down. Hershel passes out very quickly from all of the pain.

"He’s bleeding out," Rick says once he finishes. "Del..."

"We have to get him back," I say. "I don't have any supplies here." 

I am focusing on Hershel and what medical supplies I need when suddenly everyone stops for a moment because we're no longer alone here. There are prisoners, men who are alive here still. They seem just as surprised to see us as we are to see them.

Daryl points his crossbow at them, keeping them where they are. "Who the hell are you?" he asks them.

"Who the hell are you?" they ask in return.

"He’s bleeding out," Rick tells me as if I can't see that myself. "We gotta go back!"

I'm using all of my strength to put pressure on the wound but it's not enough. He'll die if we don't get more help soon. 

"Come on out of here. Slow and steady," Daryl instructs the prisoners.

They listen to him and walk out slowly. "What happened to him?" They ask about Hershel.

"He got bit."

"Bit?" They become alarmed and one pulls a gun. T-Dog starts threatening them with his own gun.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy now. Nobody needs to get hurt," Daryl tells them.

Glenn cautiously goes in the room where the prisoners were before. "You got medical supplies?"

"Who the hell are you people anyway?"

"Don’t look like no rescue team!" Another prisoner adds.

"If a rescue team’s what you’re waiting for, don’t!" Rick tells them.

Glenn takes a table to carry Hershel.

"Come on, we gotta go! Now! Come on, I need a hand here!" 

Glenn and Rick put Hershel on the table.

"One, two, three, go!"

T-Dog gets the door for us and we all leave, killing walkers along the way.

Along the way we pause for a moment to see that the prisoners are following us. Rick instructs us to keep going. I'm trying to keep pressure on Hershel's knee as he is carried on the table.

Carl opens the door for us when we arrive at the cell block. "Oh, my god!" he shouts.

"Daddy!" Beth sobs.

Rick and Glenn turn the table around, getting it into a cell. "Get him on the bed! He got bit," Rick tells everyone.

"Oh, my god, he’s gonna turn!" Beth cries.

"Did you cut it off?" Lori questions.

"Yeah," Rick nods.

"Maybe you got it in time," she suggests.

Carol, Lori, Glenn and Rick carry Hershel to the bed.

"We need bandages!" Carol exclaims.

"We used everything we had," Glenn replies.

"Carl, go get the towels from the back, right next to my bed!" Lori tells her son.

"Is he gonna die?" Beth asks.

"No, no, no, he’s gonna be okay." Lori holds Beth close.

"You think you can stabilize him?" Rick asks me.

"Get some pillows to help me elevate his leg," I instruct. I can't answer whether he is going to be okay or not. I just have to focus on doing the best that I can.

I work to stop the bleeding the best I can then I wrap his leg in bandages.

When I finish up we all leave him alone with his daughters watching over him. I don't know if he'll make it or not. He's breathing weird and his pulse is slow. Rick doesn't want to take any chances and tells Glenn to handcuff him to the bed as a precaution.

A little while after, Carl arrives with a box full of medical supplies.

"Where did you get this?" Lori demands.

"Found the infirmary. Wasn’t much left, but I cleared it out!" he answers.

"You went by yourself?"

"Yeah," he shrugs.

"Are you crazy?"

"No big deal, I killed two walkers! We needed supplies, so I got them!"  
\---

Maggie is watching over her father when he suddenly stops breathing. 

"Do something! Somebody help! Somebody! Please, help!" Beth screams.

I run in and quickly check him over. I can't feel a heart beat so I immediately start CPR. It's an automatic reaction. I don't even think about it. Carl has his gun pointed at Hershel. He gasps, suddenly beginning to breathe again. But he stays unconscious.

It's not for a while that he finally opens his eyes. Maggie and Beth are overjoyed. Rick takes the cuffs off of him.


	15. Fifteen

Carol and Maggie are parking cars in the west entry of the yard. We have to move them to clear up the space and Daryl said all the vehicles camped out there looked like a giant vacancy sign. We also have work to do after we get the cars situated. We have to load up all the corpses of the walkers that we've killed so we can burn them.

Carol, Maggie, Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and I are all standing together in the yard when we notice something. Two prisoners are out of their cell block and standing behind the fence, facing us.

"That's close enough. We had an agreement," Rick tells them.

"Please, mister. We know that, we made a deal. But you gotta understand! We can’t live in that place another minute, you follow me? All the bodies, people we knew! Blood, brains everywhere! There’s ghosts!"

"Why don’t you move the bodies out?" Daryl asks them.

"You should be burning them," T-Dog says.

"We tried! We did!"

"The fence is down on the far side of the prison," the other prisoner adds. "Every time we drag a body out, those things just line up."

"Look! We had nothing to do with Thomas and Andrew, nothing! You trying to prove a point? You proved it, bro! We’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of your group, just, please, please, don’t make us live in that place!"

Rick shakes his head. "Our deal is not negotiable. You either live in your cell block, or you leave."

The prisoners turn to each other, frowning. "I told you this was a waste of time. They ain’t no different than the pricks who shot up our boys. You know how many friends’ corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw ‘em out like… Those were good guys! Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint like Thomas and Andrew. Now, we’ve all made mistakes to get in here, chief, and I’m not gonna pretend to be a saint, but believe me… we paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit that road, than to go back into that shithole."

Rick looks over to Daryl, silently asking for his opinion. Daryl shakes his head then locks the prisoners into their area.

We walk away from them and discuss more about what to do with the prisoners. T-Dog tries to argue that we should help them more. Rick doesn't agree. "Are you serious? You want them living in a cell next to you? They’ll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons, you want to go back to sleeping with one eye open?"

" I never stopped. Bring them into the fold. If we send them off packing, we might as well execute them ourselves."

"I don’t know, Axel seems a little unstable," Glenn says.

"After all we’ve been through?" Carol comments. "We fought so hard for all this, what if they decide to take it?"

Maggie nods. "It’s just been us for so long… They’re strangers. I don’t… it feels weird all of a sudden to have these other people around."

"You brought us in," T-Dog points out.

"Yeah, but you turned up with a shot boy in your arms, didn’t give us a choice."

"We all brought Del in."

"That was different," Rick argues.

"I don't trust them," I say.

"They can’t even kill walkers!" Glenn exclaims.

"They’re convicts, bottom line!" Carol states.

" Those two might actually have less blood on their hands than we do," T-Dog says.

"I get guys like this. Hell, I grew up with them," Daryl tells us. "They’re degenerates, but they ain’t psychos. I could have been with them just as easy as I’m out here with you guys."

" So you with me?"

"Hell no! Let ‘em take their chances out on the road, just like we did!"

When I was a rookie, I arrested this kid," Rick starts. "Nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend. The kid blubbered like a baby during the interrogation, during the trial, suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, and in 2 weeks later shot another girl. We’ve been through too much. Our deal with them stands.

We get back to work after that, Rick giving orders. He explains how to park the cars and how we will give the prisoners supplies for a week so they can take their chances. I'm checking under the hood of one car as Daryl gets on his bike. The prisoner named Axel is staring. "Twin cylinder, is that a Triumph?" he asks.

"Don’t even look at it," Daryl responds.

"Sounds like it could use a tune-up, I'm pretty handy with the grind!"

"Shut up," I say to him. I try to avoid dealing with the prisoners when I don't have to so I don't draw their attention to me. They are disgusting. But I'm getting tired of hearing them now.

"Do you know your cars at all honey?"

"Don't fucking talk to her!" Daryl snaps.

I close the hood of the car and get in. Daryl and I both drive off.

Some of us continue parking cars while others try to clean and organize the surroundings of the prison. Glenn, Rick, Daryl, and I are standing on the outer edges of the prison and everything seems to be going well. Glenn is carrying a pile of wood so that we can burn the walker bodies. We can see others in the yard of the prison. Lori and Carl are with Hershel as he walks around on the crutches that were made for him.

And then everything suddenly goes horribly wrong. A whole herd of walkers appears almost out of nowhere. My group immediately starts running as fast as we can. We have to get to the others at the prison but we have to go around fences. I'm a pretty fast runner so Rick and I are in the front leading Glenn and Daryl. Rick unlocks the gates as quickly as possible. Once we get inside he tells me to go find Lori. I want to stay with them and fight but there is no time to argue about it.

I head into the prison and it's not an easy task finding Lori. There are so many hallways and so many rooms where they could be. Finally I hear them in one room. "Let me in!" I say. "It's me."

Carl opens the door and I quickly get inside before any walkers can follow me in. I assess the situation. Lori is clearly in distress.

"I think she's in labor," Maggie tells me, looking panicked.

"Alright. It's okay," I say. "I'm here now and everything's gonna' be just fine. We can do this."

I am a little nervous. We don't have the right medical supplies. I've never had to do surgery to deliver a baby and if I end up having to do it now it's going to be bad. We have nothing in this room that would be required for a procedure like that.

There's an alarm going off now. It's extremely loud. It's only going to attract more walkers. "What are those alarms?" Lori asks.

"Don't worry about it," I reply. "Just focus on havin' this baby. The guys will take care of it."

"What if it attracts them?" Carl questions.

"We're safe in here," I reassure him. "And even if any of them break in here we'll just take care of them, won't we?"

He nods.

"I gotta push," Lori announces. She stands up and holds onto a pipe as she pushes. Maggie is helping to support her. She encourages her the whole time until I stop her.

"Lori, I need you to stop for a minute."

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"Let's get you to lay down and try your best not to push."

She lays down carefully with Maggie's help.

"What is it?" Maggie asks.

"The baby can't fit through the birth canal. It's probably going into distress. She's bleeding. If she pushes more she could rupture and they'd both be in trouble."

"Is she gonna' be okay?" Carl panics.

"Everything's gonna' be fine Carl," I assure him. "I need you to be brave and focus, okay? You need to help me out here. Do you have something we could put the baby in?"

He takes off his jacket and holds it.

"Can we get her back to my dad?" Maggie asks me.

I shake my head. "There's no way. I can do this but I don't have supplies."

"I know what this means," Lori says. "I'm not losing my baby. You've gotta cut me open."

"No," Maggie looks like she could cry.

"There's no choice," she insists.

"She's right," I agree. There's no other way to save the baby. If I don't cut her open she and the baby will both die most likely.

"Carl has a knife," Lori tells me.

"Mom..." Carl is upset.

"Baby, I don't want you to be scared, okay?" Lori talks to him. "This is what I want. This is right. Now you-- you take care of your daddy for me, all right? And your little brother or sister, you take care…"

"You don't have to do this."

"You're gonna be fine… You are gonna beat this world, I know you will. You are smart, and you are strong, and you are so brave! And I love you."

"I love you too," he cries.

"You gotta do what's right, baby. You promise me, you'll always do what's right. It's so easy to do the wrong thing in this world. So don't… so if it feels wrong, don't do it, all right? If it feels easy don't do it. Don't let the world spoil you. You're so good! You're my sweet boy! The best thing I ever did! I love you! I love you. You're my sweet, sweet boy, I love you. Okay… okay, now. Okay. Maggie, when this is over, you're gonna have to…You have to do it, it can’t be Rick. Alright, it’s alright. It’s alright…Goodnight, love."

I hold my hand out to Carl and he gives me the knife. "You're so brave," I tell him.

There's a scar from her old C-section and I cut there. She screams from the pain then she passes out and dies as I pull the baby out of her belly. It's not breathing at first. I cradle it in my hands carefully and pat its back, trying to clear the airway. If it doesn't breathe in a moment I will start to do CPR. I had to do that for the baby I delivered in my old group. It was blue when it was born and I had to be careful. I had to use just my fingers to press on the chest so I wouldn't crush it's ribs. Then I breathed into the baby's little mouth and nose and it worked. Luckily, I don't have to today. The baby starts to cry and I'm relieved.

"We have to go," Maggie says.

"Well, we can’t just leave her here, she’ll turn," Carl argues.

"Maggie, take the baby and I'll do it," I start to say.

"No," Carl stops me. "She's my mom. I have to do it."

"Carl, you shouldn't," I shake my head.

"I'm doing this," he insists.

I can't argue with him. 

When we get outside to the yard everyone is there waiting for us. Everything is finally under control as much as it can be. The baby is in my arms crying.

Rick looks at us, shocked and confused. There's a silent question in his eyes, looking for Lori. And I shake my head. "I'm sorry Rick."

He drops to his knees and sobs.


	16. Sixteen

"Let me see the baby," Hershel says. I walk over to him and hand the child over.

"What are we gonna feed it? We got anything a baby can eat?" Daryl asks.

"No," I shake my head.

"The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive," Hershel says.

All I can do is nod in agreement because I already knew all of that.

"No. No way," Daryl shakes his head. "Not her. We ain't losing nobody else. I'm going for a run."

"I'll back you up," Maggie chimes in immediately.

"Me too," I say. Hershel will stay with the baby. I should go with Daryl.

"I'll go too," Glenn offers.

"Okay, think where we're going," Daryl tells us. "You two get the fence. Too many pile up, we got ourselves a problem. Glenn, Maggie, vámonos. Get the gate. Come on, we're gonna lose the light!"

"There's a Piggly Wiggly on 85," Glenn suggests as we walk.

"No, the baby section's been cleared," Maggie replies. "Lori asked me to keep an eye out. I haven't had much luck."

"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asks.

"We saw signs for a shopping center just north of here," Glenn says.

"Yeah, but there's too much debris on the road. The car will never get through there," Maggie tells us.

"I can take one of ya," Daryl goes for his bike.

Maggie and Glenn both say they'll go but I argue with them.

"I should do it for Lori," Maggie tries to say.

"That's bullshit!" I respond. "I did the real work. I delivered that baby. I helped Carl. I'm going."

"Let her go," Glenn agrees.

There isn't any time for arguing. I get on the back of Daryl's bike and we drive. We stop at a daycare center with a playground in the yard. Daryl parks the bike in front of the wire fence and goes in thru the yard. "Company's close. Stay tight," he warns.

I have to break a window to get inside but then climb through easily. Daryl is right behind me. I immediately begin going through the cabinets and finds supplies like bottles and diapers and throw them into my backpack. We walk thru the halls slowly with weapons and flashlights. Daryl is using both hands on his crossbow, flashlight in his mouth.

"You look sexy with that flashlight in your mouth," I tease him quietly.

He rolls his eyes.

Suddenly, we both hear a noise down the hall. We approach carefully. I open up the kitchen pantry and find the source of the noise. It's a possum. Daryl shoots it with an arrow.

"Hello, dinner," he grins.

"You're gross," I say.

He pulls me close to him and gives me a kiss. I throw my arms around him and kiss him back. After a few moments we have to separate. We have a job to do.

I talk a little bit about what happened with Lori while we continue grabbing supplies. By the time we get back to the prison it's dark outside. The gate is opened for us. Most of the group is gathered inside, waiting for us. Carl is holding the crying baby so Daryl takes the baby from him.

"Shh..." he rocks her and gives her the bottle when it's ready. The baby stops crying and he smiles. "She got a name yet?"

"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sofia. Then there's Carol, too. And... Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or... Lori. I don't know. "

"You like that? Huh? Little ass-kicker. Right? That's a good name, right? Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh? You like that, sweetheart? Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh?"

We all chuckle at that. I smile, watching Daryl with the baby. I don't always get to see his sweet side. The baby takes to him instantly and I can't say I blame her.

Later that night, I tell Daryl how sweet it was. "You never told me you're good with babies."

He shrugs it off. "It ain't a big deal."

"It was really sweet."

He rolls his eyes.

I climb on top of him and kiss him. He kisses me back immediately, hands going to rest on my lower back as I straddle him where he's sitting. We make out until he picks me up and carries me out of the prison, making me laugh.

He sets me down halfway to the guard tower. My hand stays linked in his as we race across the distance and up the stairs. Then we fall together to the floor. Our clothes are nearly ripped off and I lay back on his poncho. He kisses me all over, teasing me with his mouth between the legs until I cry out. Then he finally enters me. We both repeat each other's names as we drown in pleasure together.

 

The next day we are all eating breakfast together when Rick walks in. "I cleared out the boiler block," he announces.

"How many were there?" Daryl asks him.

"I don't know. A dozen, two dozen. I have to get back. Just wanted to check on Carl."

"Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies," Glenn offers. "You don't have to."

"No, I do." He walks to Daryl. I'm right next to Daryl so it's easy to overhear. "Everyone have a gun and a knife?"

"Yeah. We're running low on ammo, though."

"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon," Glenn says. "Found a phone book with some places we can hit, look for bullets and formula."

"We cleared out the generator room. Axel's there trying to fix it in case of emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels as well," Daryl adds.

"Good, good," Rick leaves.

After a while, Hershel goes after him.

Meanwhile, Daryl, Carl, the prisoner Oscar, and me all go to clear out more of the prison. We pause for a moment at door that's being hit lightly from the inside. It must be a walker trapped in there. "Check it out, man. Must have missed it last night," Oscar says.

"It's probably just one or two of 'em," Daryl replies. "Don't look they got much fight. They ain't goin' nowhere. We'll take care of it on the way back. C'mon."

As we walk, Daryl tells Carl a story about his mother. "Ya know, my mom, she liked her wine. She liked to smoke in bed. Virginia Slims. I was playin' out with the kids in the neighborhood. I could do that with Merle gone. They had bikes, I didn't. We heard sirens gettin' louder. They jumped on their bikes, ran after it, ya know, hopin' to see somethin' worth seein'. I ran after them, but I couldn't keep up. I ran around a corner and saw my friends lookin' at me. Hell, I saw everybody lookin' at me. Fire trucks everywhere. People from the neighborhood. It was my house they were there for. It was my mom in bed burnt down to nothin'. That was the hard part. Ya know, she was just gone. Erased. Nothin' left of her. People said it was better that way. I don't know. Just made it seem like it wasn't real, ya know?"

"I shot my mom," Carl says. "She was out. Hadn't turned yet. I ended it. It was real. Sorry about your mom."

"I'm sorry about yours."

"What about your mom, Del?" Carl asks me.

I shrug. "My mom was sick, died when I was a little kid. Me and my sister were left our father. He was a mean drunk bastard and I don't miss him at all."

"Did they...turn?"

"Yeah, they did. I came home one day to find he'd turned. He bit my sister. They both came at me. I used his gun and put them both down."

"Wow...I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

On the way back through, Daryl says he wants to be left alone. He thinks it's going to be Carol inside that door. She's going to be a walker. So I give him a quick kiss and leave him to deal with it.

I go take care of the baby until Rick comes back. I hand her over to him and we walk outside together. Rick sees something outside the fence. He hands me the baby and goes towards it. I don't know what he's seeing but it's probably something not good. I hand the baby to Carl quickly and pull out my gun, running after Rick.


	17. Seventeen

There's a woman out there and she clearly has an injured leg. Carl runs over. He must have handed the baby to someone else. Now he's staring at the woman. "Should we help her?" he asks. The woman starts to kill walkers as they notice her. She's using some kind of sword. She's having trouble though with her injury.

When she passes out, Carl starts shooting walkers through the fence. Rick gets the gate open. I run out with them and help Carl to shoot walkers. Rick picks up Michonne and carries her. Carl picks up the basket she was carrying.

"Is she bit?" Hershel asks. Everyone is watching curiously.

"Gunshot," Rick answers. "Carl, get a blanket. Beth, water and a towel."

"Here? " Carl asks as he lays a blanket on the floor for her.

"She's not coming in the cell blocks," Rick puts her down. She is starting to wake up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Steady now. It's all right. It's all right. Hey, hey, look at me. Look at me. Who are you? Hey, it's all right. Hey. Hey." She reaches for her sword but he pushes it away. "No. We're not going to hurt you unless you try something stupid first, all right?"

Daryl chooses this moment to walk in. "Who the hell is this?"

"You wanna tell us your name?" Rick asks her.

"Y'all come on in here," Daryl says to us.

"Everything all right?"

"You're gonna wanna see this."

"Go ahead. Carl, get the bag." Rick takes the woman's sword with him. "We'll keep this safe and sound. The doors are all locked. You'll be safe here. And we can treat that."

"I didn't ask for your help," the woman hisses.

"Doesn't matter. Can't let you leave."

We walk away, Daryl locking the door behind us. We go back to the cell block where we find Carol sitting on a bed in a cell. She stands up and hugs Rick.

"How?" Hershel asks, hugging her.

"Poor thing fought her way into a cell. Must have passed out. Dehydrated," Daryl explains.

She sees the baby and smiles but then sees Rick's face and starts to cry. "I'm sorry," she says to Rick.

Rick, Hershel, Carl and Daryl, and I go to talk to the woman again.

"We can tend to that wound for you, give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way. But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us and why you were carrying formula," Rick says to her.

"The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl," the woman tells us.

"What happened?"

"Were they attacked?" Hershel questions.

"They were taken."

"Taken? By who?" Rick asks her.

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me."

"Hey, these are our people. You tell us what happened now!" He hits her injured leg.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" she snaps.

"You'd better start talking. Or You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound." Daryl points his crossbow at her.

"Find 'em yourself."

"Hey, shhh. Put it down." Rick gestures for Daryl to lower his crossbow. "You came here for a reason," he says to the lady.

"There's a town. Woodbury. About 75 survivors. I think they were taken there."

"A whole town?"

"It's run by this guy who calls himself the Governor-- pretty boy, charming, Jim Jones type."

"He got muscle?" Daryl asks.

"Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall."

"You know a way in?" Rick questions.

"The place is secure from walkers, but we could slip our way through."

"How'd you know how to get here?"

"They mentioned a prison, said which direction it was in, that it was a straight shot."

"This is Hershel, the father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of that," he points to her wound.

We leave Hershel to take care of it. I'm not exactly eager to spend time taking care of sketchy strangers unless I have to. Hershel's capable of handling this one on his own.

We go back to our block where most people are gathered. Carl stayed with Hershel and the stranger. "How do we know we can trust her?" Oscar asks.

"This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debatin'?" Beth demands.

"We ain't." Daryl shakes his head. "I'll go after them."

"Well, this place sounds pretty secure. You can't go alone," Rick points out.

I don't hesitate to volunteer. "I'll go with him." 

The few of us who have decided to go on a mission to rescue Glenn and Maggie, load up into a vehicle together. It's me, Daryl, Rick, Oscar, and the stranger woman Michonne. "I got the flash bangs and I got the tear gas. You never know what you're gonna need," Daryl says as he stocks us up with weapons. Carl is helping. Daryl tells him "Hey, don't you worry about your old man. I'm gonna keep my eye on him."

As we are leaving, Hershel waves goodbye to us. "Bring them back!" he calls out.

We drive as close as we can then we have to walk through the woods, carrying what we can with us. "They have patrols. We're better off on foot," Michonne informs us.

"How far?" Rick questions her. "Night's coming."

"It's a mile, maybe two."

I keep my pace pretty well even with Daryl's. Rick catches up to us and addresses us both quietly. "You know, what you both did for me, for my baby, while I was... working things out...thank you."

"It's what we do," Daryl shrugs it off.

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, it's what we do."

We have to be like a family. We have to work together because it's the only chance we have to survive this. The whole world has gone to shit and all we have left is each other.

We pause on our journey when we run into a big group of walkers. We try to fight them off the best that we can. "No gunfire," Rick warns us. The noise will only attract more of them and there's already way too many for us.

Daryl seems to be thinking the same thing. "There's too many of 'em."

"This way. Through there," Rick directs us, pointing at a small cabin. "Come on. Keep it down."

We get inside and immediately all of our noses scrunch up in disgust. "The smell...it's loud," Daryl comments.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar asks, gesturing at the dead thing he found on the floor.

"It's gotta be a fox or what's left of one," Daryl suggests. When we all get closer we can clearly see that it's actually a dog. "Guess Lassie went home"

I take a peek out the window and see that walkers are quickly starting to surround this place, trying to get in. Rick moves a blanket on the bed and a guy sits up with a gun, surprising us all. "Who the hell are you? " the man shouts.

"We don't mean any harm." Rick attempts to calm him down.

"Get outta my house!"

"Okay. We will, but we can't right now."

"Now!" the man insists.

"Shut him up!" Michonne complains.

She's right. When I look out again I can see that the noise is only making the situation outside worse.

"Get out right now!"

"There are walkers outside." Rick tries to make him understand.

"I'll call the cops!" the stranger threatens.

"I am a cop," Rick informs him. "Now I need you to lower the gun. Don't do anything rash. Everything's fine. Let's just-let's just take this nice and slow, okay? Look at me."

"Show me your badge."

"All right. It's in my pocket. Now, I'm just gonna reach down nice and slow." Rick acts as though he's reaching for his badge. Instead, he gets the man's gun away from him.

"Let go! Let go of me!" The man yells as Rick tries to grab him. He manages to escape Rick and goes for the door.

"Don't open that door!" Rick shouts to him.

He reaches for the door and Michonne acts fast. She stabs him with her sword, killing him. Rick and Daryl lift the guy's body up and throw it out the door quickly to the walkers, shutting it again. It's an all around unpleasant situation but it causes enough of a distraction so that we can run out the back door.

It's nighttime when we finally arrive outside Woodbury. We crouch down outside the wall and wait for our chance to get inside.

"This is where you were held?" Rick asks Michonne.

She nods. "I was questioned."

"Any idea where else they could be?"

We can see a few people still wandering around inside of Woodbury despite how late it is. "I thought you said there was a curfew," Daryl tells her.

"The street is packed during the day. Those are stragglers."

"If anyone comes in here, we're sitting ducks. We gotta move."

"They could be in his apartment."

"Yeah? What if they ain't?" Daryl challenges.

"Then we'll look somewhere else."

"You said you could help us." Rick frowns at her disapprovingly. 

"I'm doing what I can."

"Then where in the hell are they?" Oscar demands.

Rick motions for us to move away from Michonne so that we can speak privately.   
"If this goes south, we're cutting her loose."

"You think she's leading us into a trap?" Oscar asks.

"Right now it's the blind leading the blind. Let's split up," Daryl suggests. We enter a building in Woodbury together but suddenly there is a problem. An older man walks inside and we are forced to hide. It's too late though. "We've been seen."

"I know you're in here. I saw you moving from outside. All right, now. You're not supposed to be in here and you know it. Who's in here?"

Rick jumps out and grabs the man, holding a gun to him. "Shut up! Get on your knees. Hands behind your back. Zip tie him." Daryl does as instructed. "Where are our people?"

"I don't know."

"You are holding some of our people. Where the hell are they?"

"I don't know."

"Open your mouth. " Rick stuffs a rag into his mouth and Daryl knocks him out.

We carefully sneak into another building where Glenn and Maggie are. Daryl throws a smoke bomb so that we are able to get Glenn and Maggie. Then we all run out of the building together. We temporarily hide in another building, guns ready.

"Inside, quick!" Rick leads us.

"Ain't no way out back here," Daryl says.

"Rick, how did you find us?" Glenn asks.

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick questions.

"I'll be all right."

"Where's that woman? She was right behind us."

Michonne has completely disappeared.

"Maybe she was spotted. Want me to go look for her?" Oscar offers.

"No. We gotta get them out of here. She's on her own," Rick answers.

"Daryl, this was Merle. He did this," Glenn informs him.

I stare at Glenn with wide eyes. Merle...Daryl's long lost brother who he has been trying to find...who he's been hoping all this time was still alive somewhere...he's the one who did this?

"You saw him? Face to face?" Daryl asks.

Glenn nods. "Threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us."

"S-So my brother's this governor?"

"No, it's somebody else," Maggie says. "Your brother's his lieutenant or something."

"Does he know I'm still with you?"

"He does now," Glenn says. "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

"Don't. No need to apologize," Rick tells him.

"They're gonna be looking for us," Maggie states.

"We have to get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good," Glenn confirms.

"Hey, if Merle's around, I need to see him," Daryl hesitates.

"Not now, Rick shakes his head. "We're in hostile territory.

"He's my brother. I ain't-"

"Look at what he did! Look, we gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out."

"No, no, no. You're not thinking straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this governor catches up to us? I need you. Are you with me?"

Daryl looks over to me, a question clear in his eyes about what he should do. He obviously feels torn and I can't say I blame him for that. Whatever I say now is going to influence his decision. He's looking to me like I have all of the answers. And I don't always. I just have to hope I'm saying the right thing now. "We'll have a chance to come back and talk to him later," I say. "We have to focus on getting Glenn and Maggie safe right now."

"Alright." He nods. "Yeah."

We all make a run for it. People are in the streets shooting at us.

"Go! Take cover! Go go go!" Rick leads us.

We hide in a doorway to reload and everything. Daryl throws more smoke bombs and we run again. We shoot back at the enemies best we can. We are all hiding outside behind cars and other stuff, whatever we can. We gather near the wall but Daryl is nowhere to be found. We wait for him. Michonne chooses this moment to return to us. Rick holds a gun to her and takes her sword. "Where were you?" he demands. "Get what you came for?"

"They got Oscar," Glenn informs us.

"Daryl is missing. You didn't see him?" Maggie questions Michonne.

"If anything happens to him-" Rick starts.

"I brought you here to save them," Michonne say.

"Thanks for the help." Rick frowns at her.

"You'll need help to get them back to the prison or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me."

"I need to go back for him," I say.

"No Del, wait," Rick shakes his head. "He can handle himself. If he doesn't come back soon, we'll go in together to get him."

"I ain't leavin' without him. I don't care what anyone says." I cross my arms over my chest stubbornly. I refuse to leave him behind.


	18. Eighteen

Eventually we all move in close to rescue Daryl. He and his brother are in the arena supposed to be fighting to the death. There are walkers on lead sticks and the Dixon brothers are doing their best to fight them off. The crowd is cheering as if this is great excitement for them to watch. It's seriously sick.

Maggie starts shooting the walkers and Rick throws a smoke bomb. Townspeople start running away and screaming. We get Daryl and Merle and make a run for it.

"They're all at the arena. This way!" Merle leads us.

"You're not going anywhere with us," Rick argues.

"You really want to do this now? We ain't got time for this."

I look between Daryl's brother and Rick. "We don't," I agree.

"Let's go!" Daryl shouts.

We continue running and it's daylight out when we finally meet up with Glenn and Maggie in the woods. Glenn is relieved to see us at first. "Rick. Oh, thank God."

"Now we got a problem here," Rick starts to warn them. "I need you to back up."

"What the hell is he doing here?" Michonne demands, pulling out her sword. "He tried to kill me!"

"Drop your sword!" Rick shouts at her.

Glenn and Maggie have their guns drawn as well. Daryl, Rick, and I all do our best to hold the rest of our group back from attacking Merle.

"Get that thing out of my face!" Daryl yells at Glenn, speaking of his gun.

"Man, look like you've gone native, brother." Merle grins amusedly.

"No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there," Daryl responds.

"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that. Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby."

"What? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asks. That's definitely surprising news for us all when we were sure she was dead.

"Right next to the Governor."

"I told you to drop that!" Rick yells at Michonne again. He questions her. "You know Andrea? Hey, do you know Andrea?"

"Yep, she does," Merle answers for her. "Her and blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic now that I think about it."

"Shut up, bro!" Daryl snaps at him.

"Hey, man, we snagged them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying."

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie questions.

"Yeah. Snug as two little bugs."

"So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards. Oh, man, look at this. Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them..."

"Merle, shut up!" Daryl demands.

"Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll-"

Before he can finish his sentence, Rick knocks him out. "Asshole."

A few minutes later, Rick, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn, and I go stand together in the road to discuss what to do.

"Look, the Governor is probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle," Daryl points out.

"I'm not having him at the prison," Rick argues.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn questions.

"He ain't a rapist." Daryl frowns.

"Well, his buddy is."

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night."

"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each other's throats," Rick says.

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl asks.

"She's not coming back."

"She's not in a state to be on her own," Maggie says.

"She did bring you guys to us," Glenn adds.

"And then ditched us," Rick states.

"At least let my dad stitch her up," Maggie pleads.

"She's too unpredictable," Rick argues.

"That's right. We don't know who she is. But Merle, Merle's blood," Daryl tells them.

"No, Merle is your blood." Glenn shakes his head. "My blood, my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're part of that family. But he's not. He's not," Rick agrees.

"Daryl's family is our family too." I decide to finally chime in. "This is his brother. Ya' can't ask him to leave his brother even if he is an asshole."

"He's not coming with us," Rick insists.

"Fine. Me and Merle will fend for ourselves," Daryl states. 

I don't want Daryl to leave but I can't say I'm really surprised this is happening. I know he won't abandon Merle and I don't really blame him. Family is family. It's important. We are all supposed to be a family and I can't believe they are making this happen. I don't know why they can't understand and just deal with Merle. They are going to lose Daryl over this.

"That's not what I was saying," Glenn tries.

"No him, no me."

"Daryl, you don't have to do that," Maggie says.

"It was always Merle and I before this."

"You serious? You're just gonna leave like that?" Glenn questions.

"You'd do the same thing."

"What do you want us to tell Carol?"

"She'll understand." He turns to Maggie. "Say goodbye to your pop for me."

"Daryl, are you serious? Daryl!" Glenn shouts as Daryl starts to walk away. Rick and I both chase after him.

"Hey, there's got to be another way," Rick says to Daryl.

"Don't ask me to leave him. I already did that once."

"We started something last night. You realize that, huh?"

"No him, no me. That's all I can say." He grab his backpack out of the vehicle. "Take care of yourself. Take care of lil ass-kicker. Carl. He's one tough kid."

"You're leaving Del behind?" Rick stops him.

Before Daryl can say anything, I speak up again. "I'm goin' with 'em."

"No...c'mon...Merle's gonna' eat you alive."

"I can handle myself."

"Don't do this Delilah."

"No Daryl, no me," I say. "I've come to think of this group like family now but I ain't leavin' Daryl no matter what. I said that when we are Woodbury, and it goes for here too. I ain't leavin' him."

"Ya' don't have to," Daryl tells me. "You're safer with them and my brother's an ass."

"He's your brother. It ain't fair for them to ask you to leave him. I'm goin' with ya' whether ya' want me to or not."

"Alright." He nods. He isn't going to argue with me. It should have been expected that I'd side with him. The group is important to me but Daryl's more important than them all. Besides, I'm angry at them for doing this. What kind of people are they?

I ain't afraid of Merle. And if it's just gonna' be us fending for ourselves, I can handle it. I was all alone for a while before I found this group. I'll have Daryl with me. It will be okay. We'll deal with this and survive like we always have.

"Del please...we need you in the group," Rick begs.

"No Daryl, no me!"

"Shit..."

"Tell Carl and the baby goodbye for me too," I say. Then Daryl and I leave with Merle who is standing in the woods waiting.

He puts an arm around Daryl and grins. "Come on, bro."


	19. Nineteen

"Who's this cute thing? She comin' with us? What a treat..." Merle says, looking me up and down.

I scowl at him. "You best shut the hell up."

"Or what? You gonna' make me?"

"You bet your ass I will. I ain't takin' any of your shit."

"Oh she's feisty. I like her."

"Don't you dare fuckin' touch her," Daryl warns.

"Go ahead and try and I'll cut your fuckin' dick off," I threaten Merle.

"Oh come now baby, don't be like that."

"Stop it Merle!" Daryl shouts.

"She your girlfriend or somethin?"

"Mind your own damn business."

"She is, isn't she? You're fuckin' her."

"Shut the fuck up Merle!"

"She's pretty cute. I can see why ya'-"

I kick Mere in the leg.

"Ow! Damn!"

"Leave her alone Merle."

"She'll come around..." he shrugs.  
\---

"There ain't nothing out here but mosquitoes and ants," Daryl complains.

"Patience, little brother," Merle says. "Sooner or later, a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path."

Daryl makes a face at him. "Even so, that ain't much food."

Merle shrugs. "More than nothin."

"I'd have better luck going through one of them houses we passed back on the turnoff."

"Is that what your new friends taught you? Hmm? How to loot for booty?"

"We've been at it for hours. Why don't we find a stream, try to look for some fish?" Daryl suggests.

"I think you're just tryin' to lead me back to the road, man. Get me over to that prison."

"They got shelter. Food. A pot to piss in. Might not be a bad idea."

"For you, maybe. Ain't gonna be no damn party for me."

"Everyone will get used to each other," Daryl insists.

"They're all dead. Makes no difference."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Right about now he's probably hosting a housewarming party where he's gonna bury what's left of your pals," Merle replies, talking about the governor. "Let's hook some fish. Come on."

We continue on through the woods for what seems like ages. Then Merle stops and sniffs the air like a dog would. "Smells to me like the Sawhatchee Creek," he announces.

"We didn't go west enough," Daryl argues. "There's a river down there, it's got to be the Yellow Jacket."

"You have a stroke, boy? We ain't never even come close to Yellow Jacket."

"We didn't go west. Just a little bit south. That's what I think."

"Daryl knows what he's talkin' about," I say. Daryl has always had an excellent sense of direction. I trust it. I trust him.

"Stupid bitch," Merle mutters under his breath.

I kick him in the shin.

"Fuck!" he shouts, grabbing onto his leg.

"It's the yellow jacket," Daryl insists again.

"Know what I think? I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction."

"Yeah, we'll see."

"What do you want to bet?"

"I don't want to bet nothing. It's just a body of water. Why's everything got to be a competition with you?"

"Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, little brother. Just trying to have a little fun here. No need to get your panties all in a bundle."

Daryl pauses, tilting his head slightly and looking around. "You hear that?"

I pause as well and listen.

"Yeah, wild animals getting wild," Merle says.

"No, it's a baby."

Daryl's right. It does sound an awfully lot like a baby crying in the distance.

"Oh, come on. Why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining, too? That there's the sound of a couple of coons making love, sweet love. Know what I mean?"

I roll my eyes at Merle. Daryl takes off running so I pull out my dagger and run after him. We reach the water. There's a big bridge over it and there are people on it shooting and trying to fight off walkers. Daryl doesn't hesitate and neither do I. We both run to the people. Merle is lagging behind us.

"Hey, man, I ain't wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers that ain't never cooked me a meal. That's my policy. You'd be wise to adopt it, brother!" Merle calls out to Daryl.

We reach the bridge and start fighting off walkers. Merle chooses to watch from the sidelines.

There's an older man and a younger man trying to shoot the walkers. They look like they might be father and son. There's a woman crying in a car speaking spanish.

I catch Daryl out of the corner of my eye going towards the car. He drags one out from where it his climbing into the trunk. He slams the trunk hatch down onto its head, killing it. He uses arrows until he runs out then grabs his knife, kicking dead walker bodies into the river.

I handle the walkers around me, using my dagger. It gets stuck in one's head and another approaches me. I kick that one away and grunt, giving my dagger a good tug. I free it from the walker's head and spin to stab the one coming after me. When I look up, all the walkers are dead around me. We did it.

I pause for just a moment, catching my breath.

Merle runs right to the car and starts looking through the backseat. The woman in the front looks terrified as she rocks her baby. The father runs over, yelling at Merle. Merle pulls out his gun and holds the man back. My eyes go wide as I watch this all happening. I have to stop this. It isn't right. The woman has a family, a baby... You can't just steal from them. We're all trying to survive out here. You have to keep your humanity when it's possible.

"Slow down, beaner. That ain't no way to say thank you," Merle says to the man.

"Let 'em go," Daryl walks over to his brother.

I step up beside him.

"The least they can do is give us an enchilada or something, huh? Easy does it, señorita. Everything's gonna be fine."

"Get out of the car," Daryl demands, pointing his crossbow at Merle. I have put my dagger away in favor of my gun.

"I know you're not talking to me, brother."

Daryl turns to the men. "Get in your car and get the hell out of here. Go! Get in your car! Go!"

The people drive off quickly and we head for the woods again.

"The shit you doing, pointing that thing at me? And your girl better fuckin' watch herself."

"I'll shoot your dick off," I warn him.

"Ya keep sayin' that, when ya gonna do it?"

I point my gun at his crotch. "Now."

"Hey!" Daryl gets in between his brother and me. "Just cut it out. Those people were scared, man."

"They were rude is what they were. Rude and they owed us a token of gratitude."

"They didn't owe us nothin."

"You helpin' people out of the goodness of your heart? Even though ya might die doin' it? Is that somethin' your Sheriff Rick taught ya?"

"There was a baby!" Daryl shouts.

"Oh, otherwise you would have just left 'em to the biters, then?"

Daryl stops walking and faces Merle again. "Man, I went back for ya. You weren't there. I didn't cut off your hand, neither. You did that. Way before they locked you up on that roof. You asked for it."

"Ya know what's funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick are like this now. Right? I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we were planning on robbing that camp blind."

What the hell is Merle talking about? He and Daryl were going to rob Rick's camp back in the beginning?

"It didn't happen."

"Yeah, it didn't 'cause I wasn't there to help you."

"What, like when we were kids, huh?" Daryl asks him angrily. "Who left who then?"

"What? Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?" Merle yells.

"You lost your hand 'cause you're a simpleminded piece of shit," Daryl yells back.

"Yeah? You don't know!"

Daryl turns away and Merle grabs him, dragging him to the ground and ripping his shirt in the back to reveal his scars. It happens fast before I can even do anything. " I didn't know he was..."

Daryl picks up his backpack and puts it on, collecting spilled arrows. "Yeah, he did. He did the same to you. That's why you left first."

"I had to, man. I would have killed him otherwise."

Daryl gets up and starts walking away again.

"Where you going?"

Daryl pauses. "Back where I belong."

"I can't go with you. I tried to kill that black bitch. Damn near killed the Chinese kid."

"He's Korean."

"Whatever. Doesn't matter, man. I just can't go with you."

"You know, I may be the one walking away... but you're the one that's leaving...again."

Daryl storms off through the woods and I follow him. When we reach a safe distance, I stop Daryl. I place my hand on his chest, moving in front of him to face him.

"What?" he asks.

"Hey..." I reach up and stroke his cheek with my thumb. "It's gonna' be alright."

"He's an asshole."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I wrap my arms around him, hugging him. He's stiff at first but eventually his arms go around my waist.

I kiss him, pushing him back against a nearby tree. I push the backpack off of his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground by our feet. I run my hands up over his shoulders and upper back. His lower back is pressed against the rough tree bark. My fingers trace his scars lightly and he kind of shivers which is a delightful reaction. I grin into the kiss.

And that's when Merle catches up with us.

"Didn't mean to interrupt ya. Don't let me stop ya," he laughs. "Keep going. Pretend I'm not here."

"Fuck you," Daryl mutters. He picks up his backpack and starts to walk away. I walk with him and Merle trails behind us.

"You got a nice ass," he tells me, whistling.

"Shut the hell up!" I flip him off, giving him the middle finger.

He chuckles amusedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone still reading this?


	20. Twenty

When we come upon the prison we find absolute madness. The governor and his crew are driving off. They have a big truck and there are now walkers swarming the prison. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he dropped off walkers to cause a problem for our group.

We manage to take care of all of the walkers. Rick acknowledges Daryl and I. 

"Good to have you back," he tells us.

But he pretty much ignores Merle.

The next day we all gather in the prison, discussing what to do. Merle is locked into a cell close by.

"Rick says we're not running, we're not running," Glenn says.

"No, better to live like rats," Merle tells us.

"You got a better idea?" Rick asks him.

"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now."

"We ain't scared of that prick," Daryl comments.

"Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to."

"Let's put him in the other cell block," Maggie frowns.

"No. He's got a point," Daryl tells her.

"This is all you. You started this," she tells Merle.

"What difference whose fault it is? What do we do?" Beth asks.

"I said we should leave," Hershel says. "Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here. You're slipping, Rick. We've all seen it. We understand why. But now is not the time. You once said this isn't a democracy. Now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands. So get your head clear and do something."

A few minutes later, Rick gathers with me, Daryl, Hershel, Glenn, and Michonne. "Field's filled with walkers. I didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie on watch," he tells us.

"I'll get up in the guard tower, take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence," Daryl offers.

"Or use some of the cars to put the bus in place," Michonne suggests.

Hershel shakes his head. "We can't access the field without burning through our bullets."

"So we're trapped in here," Glenn frowns. "There's barely any food or ammo."

"Been here before. We'll be all right," Daryl says.

"That's when it was just us. Before there was a snake in the nest."

Daryl steps up to Glenn. "Man, we gonna go through this again? Look, Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get used to it."

He climbs up the stairs and paces up on the second floor. I go after him and just sit up there, giving him a little space but offering my support if he needs it. We can still hear the others talking below.

"Seriously, Rick, I don't think Merle living here is really gonna fly," Glenn says.

"I can't kick him out," Rick argues.

"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you."

"Merle has military experience," Hershel points out. "He may be erratic, but don't underestimate his loyalty to his brother."

"What if we solve both problems at once?" Glenn asks. "Deliver Merle to the Governor. Bargaining chip. Give him his traitor, maybe declare a truce."

Daryl goes into a cell and stretches out on a bed, half sitting up against his pillows. He twirls an arrow in his hands absent mindedly. I sit at the foot of the bed, leaning back against the wall. I have an old book in my lap that I found in one of the cells.

Carol walks in and I try to ignore her. "Haven't had a chance to say I'm glad you came back. Both of you."

"Came back to what? All this?" Daryl asks.

"This is our home."

"This is a tomb."

"That's what T-Dog called it. Thought he was right till you found me. He's your brother, but he's not good for you. Don't let him bring you down. After all, look how far you've come."

She leaves so I crawl over to Daryl, laying on top of him. I give him a quick kiss.

"Don't listen to 'em," I tell him.

He frowns. I lay down with him, resting with my head on his chest. He places an arm around me as he relaxes with me.  
\---

I can't say I ever expected Andrea to come back to us. Yet here she is. She's outside the prison fences with a walker on a lead stick. We are all running for the gates.

"Are you alone?" Rick shouts at her as Daryl opens the gate for her.

"Hands up! Turn around. Turn around now! Get down on the ground," Rick instructs her. "I asked if you were alone." He begins searching her for weapons.

"I am," she insists.

"Welcome back. Get up."

We bring her inside the prison. She hugs Carol and everyone catches her up on who is alive and who is dead.

"You all live here?" she asks.

"Here and the cell block," Glenn nods.

"There? Well, can I go in?"

"I won't allow that," Rick shakes his head.

"I'm not an enemy, Rick."

"We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up."

"He said you fired first," she says.

"Well, he's lying."

"He killed an inmate who survived in here," Hershel informs her.

"We liked him," Daryl adds. "He was one of us."

"I didn't know anything about that. As soon as I found out, I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shoot-out."

"That was days ago," Glenn points out.

"I told you, I came as soon as I could." She then turns to Michonne. "What have you told them?"

"Nothing," Michonne answers.

"I don't get it. I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?"

"He almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us," Glenn tells her.

"With his finger on the trigger," she points at Merle. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you? Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."

"There's nothing to work out," Rick says. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."

"We can settle this," she argues. "There is room at Woodbury for all of you."

"You know better than that," Merle says.

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Hershel questions. "Did he say that?"

"No," she admits.

"Then why did you come here?" Rick demands.

"Because he's gearing up for war. The people are terrified. They see you as killers. They're training to attack."

"I'll tell you what. Next time ya see Philip, ya tell him I'm gonna take his other eye," Daryl threatens.

"Rick, if you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen," she says. "He has a whole town. Look at you. You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

"You want to make this right, get us inside," Rick tells her.

"No."

"Then we got nothing to talk about."

"There are innocent people."

Rick walks away so we all send Andrea off, letting her take one of our cars.


	21. Twenty-One

Later that night we are all sitting together in the cell block. Even Merle has been let out of his cell in order to join us. Beth is singing. Rick grabs Daryl to talk and motions for me to join as well. "I'm going on a run," Rick announces quietly.

"I'll head out tomorrow," Daryl offers.

"No, you stay here. I need you and Del here. Keep your eyes on Merle. I'm glad you're back, really, but if he causes a problem, it's on you both."

"I got him," Daryl promises.

I nod in agreement. "I know how to handle him."

"I'll take Michonne," Rick tells us.

"Ya sure that's a good idea?"

"I'll find out. And Carl. He's ready. You hold it down here."

"You got it," Daryl nods.

"Sure thing, Rick," I agree.  
\---  
A meeting is planned between the Governor and Rick. Rick grabs Hershel, me, and Daryl to go along with him. We stand outside with a couple of the governor's men.

"Maybe I should go inside," Hershel suggests.

"The Governor thought it best if he and Rick spoke privately," one of the men informs us.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl questions.

"Milton Mamet."

"Great. He brought his butler."

"I'm his advisor."

"What kind of advice?"

"Planning. Biters. Uh, you know, I'm sorry. I don't feel like I need to explain myself to the henchmen."

"You better watch your mouth, sunshine!" Daryl threatens.

"We don't need this. If all goes south in there, we'll be at each other's throats soon enough," Hershel says.

"There's no reason not to use this time we have together to explore the issues ourselves," Milton suggests.

"Boss said to sit tight and shut up," the other man reminds him.

"It's a good thing they're sitting down, especially after what happened," Milton says. "They're gonna work it out. Nobody wants another battle. That's what I called it when I recorded it. Somebody's got to keep a record of what we've gone through. It'll be a part of our history."

"That makes sense," Hershel nods.

"I've got dozens of interviews-"

Some walkers are in the area so me, one of the governor's guys, Andrea, Daryl and I go kill them together.

"Look what he's got!" Daryl exclaims, picking up cigarettes from one walker. He offers them to us.

I take one and light it up.

"Nah, I prefer menthols," the guy working for the governor says.

"Douchebag," Daryl mutters, lighting up his own cigarette."You army or something?"

"Nah, I just hate these things."

"Yeah."

"After what they did to my wife, kids."

"Sucks," Daryl agrees.

"Thanks."

After what seems like forever, Rick comes back to us and we return to the prison. Rick gathers everyone there and makes a bit of a speech.

"So, I met this Governor," he says. "Sat with him for quite a while."

"Just the two of you?" Merle asks.

"Yeah."

"Should have gone when we had the chance, bro."

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead for what we did to Woodbury. We're going to war."

It's not until later that I discover more of the truth of what happened with Rick and the governor. Rick, Daryl, Hershel, and I stand together by the prison fence. He tells us that the governor said if we give him Michonne, he will call off the fight.

"It's the only way. No one else knows."

"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl questions.

"Not till after. We have to do it today. It has to be quiet. We tell her we need to talk. Away from the others."

"Just ain't us, man," Daryl shakes his head.

"No, it isn't," Hershel agrees.

"We do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies."

"Okay," Daryl nods.

"Del?" Rick turns to me.

I shrug. "We do what we gotta do."

I can't argue on this if it's what has to be done but that doesn't mean I like it. I really don't like much of what Rick says but we're a group. I have to pick and choose my battles here if I want to stay.

Sometimes I don't really understand how Daryl can always hold such a high opinion of Rick, especially after what happened with Merle. Everyone says we're supposed to be a family but I don't think we are. Daryl is my family. That makes Merle my family too. But Rick...if he was really family he wouldn't have left Daryl on the side of the road. I don't trust him to protect me. I have to protect myself.

"We need someone else," Rick says, meaning Merle.

"I'll talk to him," Daryl offers.

"I'll do it," Rick says.

"I'll go with ya."

"No. Just me."

Daryl and I give Rick time to talk to Merle but after a while Daryl decides it's time to find his brother himself.

"I'll go with ya," I say.

"Alright..."

I didn't ask his permission and I don't think he wants to try arguing with me. We're both too stubborn. Besides, I've stuck with him and Merle through all of this. I'm not running off now.

"Merle? You down here?" Daryl calls out as we search for Merle.

"Hey, little brother. Hey, pretty thing."

I roll my eyes.

"I was just about to holler back at ya."

"What you doing down here?"

"Just looking for a little crystal meth. Yeah, yeah, I know. Shit mess my life up when everything is going so sweet, right?"

"You talk to Rick yet?" Daryl questions.

"Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm in. But, uh, he ain't got the stomach for it. He's gonna buckle. Ya' know that, right?"

"Yeah. If he does, he does. You want him to? Whatever he says goes."

"Man. Do you even possess a pair of balls, little brother? Are they even attached? I mean, if they are, they belong to you? You used to call people like that sheep. What happened to ya?"

"What happened with you and Glenn and Maggie?"

"I've done worse. Ya need to grow up. Things are different now. Your people look at me like I'm the devil... grabbing up those lovebirds like that, huh? Now y'all want to do the same damn thing I did--snatch someone up and deliver them to the Governor, just like me."

"People do what they got to do or they die," Daryl argues. "Can't do things without people anymore, man."

"Maybe these people need somebody like me around, huh? Do their dirty work. The bad guy. Yeah, maybe that's how it is now, huh? How does that hit ya?"

"I just want my brother back."

I don't know if those words are actually hitting Merle but they're hitting me. I understand. I feel bad for Daryl but there's nothing I can really do except be there for him. I can't change Merle.

Merle waves his hand submissively. "Get out of here, man."


	22. Twenty-Two

We leave together but before we can reach the rest of the group, I grab Daryl and pull him into an empty supply closet. I close the door behind us and turn on the small lantern to shed some light on us. I throw my arms around him and kiss him. At first it catches him off guard. He doesn't really respond.

"I love you, Daryl," I tell him.

He stares at me with wide eyes. It's the first time I've said that out loud but it seems like it's about time already after all that we've been through together.

"Ain't ya gonna say anything?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"I..."

"You love me too, don't ya?"

He hesitates, then he nods quickly. "Yeah."

So I kiss him again and this time he kisses back. The kiss soon turns heated. I pull him to the floor with me on top of a dusty old blanket. I start to undress us both. Then he takes control, flipping me onto my back with him on top. He thrusts into me and I wrap my arms around him, moaning in delight.

Need takes over. We have our typical fast rough sex. Neither Daryl or I are the romantic type and there isn't too much time for romance these days with walkers everywhere. It feels amazing anyway. He leaves me shuddering and crying out his name in the end.

Afterwards, Daryl and I notice that Michonne and Merle are both missing so we go to tell Rick. "Damn it! I'm going after him," Rick tells us.

"You can't track for shit," Daryl argues.

"Then the both of us."

"No, just me."

"Hey, I'm goin' too," I say. "Ya can't leave me behind after everything. I've fuckin' stood by you and Merle this whole time. You're my fuckin' family, both of ya'll."

Daryl nods. "Let's go then."

We go to look for Merle. Along the way we run into Michonne who says that Merle let her go. We move even faster then. There's a growing sense of dread inside of me and I really hope that Merle is okay.

After what seems like forever we come upon the governor's camp. It's obvious that something bad has happened here. There are dead bodies and guts all over the ground. There are even a few walkers. Daryl shoots one with an arrow as we walk in to get a better look. We see one walker in the distance eating someone's guts.

The walker hears us and looks up. My heart nearly stops. This can't be happening. This is a bad dream I'll wake up from at any moment. This is not happening.

Daryl starts to cry. The walker is Merle.

Walker Merle gets up and stumbles towards us. I have my dagger out in front of me but I know that it's Daryl who is going to have to do this just like I did it for my sister. It's one of the hardest things that I've ever done in my life and this world is full of difficult situations you have to do in order to survive.

Walker Merle tries to get to Daryl. I take a step back.

"No," he cries, trying to push walker Merle away. It's useless. Merle is gone. This walker just keeps advancing on Daryl until he finally brings him to the ground and stabs him repeatedly in the head.

Then Daryl collapses on his back, crying. I drop to my knees beside him instantly and throw my arms around him. He wraps his arms around me as well, clinging to me desperately as he sobs. I hold him and I start to cry too.

This world is horrible. Sometimes it seems hopeless, like we are destined to lose everyone we love then die as well. Sometimes it's hard to remember what we are fighting for. This is one of those moments. But I can't lose hope.

Daryl is here in my arms and he needs me. I need him too. We have each other and no matter what else happens, no matter who else we lose, as long as I have him that's the most important thing. I can get through anything if I have him with me.

Eventually we manage to pull ourselves together. We stand up and brush ourselves off. "I'm so sorry," I tell him.

"You did this once...for your sister..."

"I did," I nod.

"Merle...I..."

He looks like he might cry again.

My arms go around him and I kiss him. He kisses me back. "I love you Daryl," I tell him. "I love you so much. And we're gonna' get through everything cause we have each other, okay?"

He nods. "Okay."

I hold his hand in my own as we make our way back to the prison. Daryl and I hold onto each other extra tight as we sleep.

The next day while I help Daryl fix his motorcycle, Carol approaches.

It turns out that Merle lured zombies into the governor's camp on purpose in order to take down some of the governor's men. He was kind of a hero. "Ya know, Merle never did nothin' like that his whole life," Daryl says.

"He gave us a chance," Carol tells him.

And in a way, I guess that's true.  
\---

It's not long before the governor retaliate. He and some of his people show up with big military style machine guns and trucks. They use the trucks to break open the gates then they walk inside the prison, looking for us. We already anticipated this though. We all hide around the perimeters of the prison and ambush them. The governor and his people run off but we know we have to go after them. Someone has to put an end to this once and for all.

Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and I are the only ones to volunteer. "Just the four of us?"

I look around then nod. "Yeah, guess so."

We head out together. Michonne and Rick are in a truck. Daryl drives his motorcycle and I sit on the back of it. On the way to the governor, we stop when we see a bunch of dead bodies. There is only one survivor and she runs out to us. Her name is Karen and she's from Woodbury. She tells us that the governor did this.

We make into Woodbury and once again we come face to face with Andrea. She's dying. She was bit. She's alone in a room with a dead walker by her, Milton the governor's assistant. He's the one that bit her.

"Judith, Carl, the rest of them," Andrea says. "It's good you found them. No one can make it alone now. I never could. I just didn't want anyone to die." She's holding a gun in her hand and she tells us "I can do it myself."

"No," Michonne protests.

"I have to. While I still can. I know how the safety works."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere."

"I tried."

"Yeah. You did," Rick agrees.

We wait outside the room but Michonne stays in the room while Andrea shoots herself.

When we come back to the prison we are not alone. We bring a couple busses of people from Woodbury.

"What is this?" Carl asks us.

"They're gonna join us," Rick tells him.


	23. Twenty-Three

It's hard to keep track of the days. But I do know that it's been about six or seven months since we brought the people from Woodbury in. We've continued to bring people in from all kinds of places since then.

It's not easy adjusting to having so many strangers around us. I've never been real popular with people. But I have to admit, I kind of like it. It seems like we've been alone for so long as a group. And now there's all kinds of people. There are always things going on at the prison. There's kids, young people and old people. They all have different skills. They talk and laugh and fill the prison with life. It's an amazing thing. Rick did good.

The prison has undergone all kinds of changes. We build up a big community here. It's a home, or the closest thing to it as possible these days. Outside the prison we have all kinds of structures set up. There's even a pig farm. We have a nice garden and furniture and shelves for storage. There's a table set up with chairs and a makeshift stove for cooking.

This is where Daryl and I are currently headed. Along the way people call out to us, saying hello. I smile and wave back to them. I've bonded with many of them over time in the only way I ever used to bond with people before the world went to shit. Helping them...taking care of them... There's a doctor here now too that I work a lot with. His name is Dr. S and he's a pretty cool guy. I can't say that I've become close to any of them but I like most of them well enough anyway. I consider them all friends. And I've never had real friends before.

"Smells good," Daryl comments as he walks over to the stove where Carol is cooking.

"Just so you know, I liked you first," She teases him.

"Stop. You know, Rick brought in a lot of them, too."

The way Daryl became so popular wasn't by playing nurse and babysitter like me. It's been because he brought a lot of them here and saved their lives that way.

"Not recently," Carol shakes her head. "Give the stranger sanctuary, keeping people fed, you're gonna have to learn to live with the love."

"Right," he shrugs. He picks up a bowl of food and starts eating it with his hands.

"I need you to see something," she announces. "Del, you come along too. " She looks at one of the young people we took in. "Patrick, you want to take over?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nods. He's a good kid, nerdy but still good. He turns to look at Daryl. "Mr. Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday. It was a real treat, sir. And I'd be honored to shake your hand."

Daryl licks his fingers, then shakes the boy's hand. The boy grins but I make a disgusted face. I punch Daryl in the shoulder lightly. "You're gross. Ya think he wants your spit all over his hand?"

"It's okay," Patrick assures me.

"I'll wipe my spit on ya next," Daryl threatens me.

"Oh really? Ass hole," I say.

"You like it," he insists, giving me a smile.

I lean in and kiss him quickly. He rolls his eyes but he can't hide his smile.

Things have been going so good here lately that it's given Daryl and I a chance to be happy and playful with each other. It's really amazing and I cherish every second of it.

Patrick and Carol are both smiling fondly.

"Let's go," Daryl suggests, embarrassed at my public display of affection.

We walk with Carol towards the fence and she starts talking. "About today, I don't know if we're gonna be able to spare a lot of people for the run."

"That place is good to go. We're gonna move on it," Daryl tells her.

"Yeah. The thing is, we had a pretty big buildup overnight. Dozens more towards tower three. It's getting as bad as last month. They don't spread out anymore."

We all look out beyond the fence at the walkers piling up around it, trying to get in.

"With more of us sitting here, we're drawing more of them out," Daryl agrees. "Ya get enough of those damn fence-clingers, they start to herd up."

"Pushing against the fences again," Carol nods. "It's manageable, but unless we get ahead of it, not for long. Sorry, Pookie."

He scoffs at the nickname.

"Careful there Carol, he's taken," I wrap my around him.

"Get off," Daryl chuckles.

"You two are good together," she tells me.

"Thanks."

We go get ready for our supply run. As we are getting ready, Beth and her new boyfriend Zach kiss goodbye.

"It's like a damn romance novel," Daryl complains as he loads our vehicle up for the run.

"Like you two aren't?" A woman called Sasha comments. Her and her brother Tyreese are going with me, Daryl, Glenn, and Zach.

"Shut up," Daryl grumbles.

A man named Bob walks over to us. "Hey. I'd like to start pulling my weight around here."

Sasha shakes her head. "Bob, it's only been a week."

"That's a week worth of meals, a roof over my head. Let me earn my keep," he protests.

"You were out on your own when Daryl found you."

"That's right."

"I just want to make sure you know how to play on a team."

"You know he was a medic in the Army," Glenn points out. 

"Come with us," I say. "If he wants to, why not? We could use another man on the run."

Daryl nods in agreement.

We lead the convoy of vehicles for the supply run on his motorcycle. We pull up to the front gates where Carl, Rick, and Michonne are talking. 

"Well, look who's back," Daryl says, meaning Michonne.

"Didn't find him," she replies, meaning the governor.

Daryl nods. "Glad to see you in one piece."

"I'm thinking of looking over near Macon. It's worth a shot."

"70 miles of walkers," he says. "You might run into a few un-neighborly types."

She doesn't respond so he turns to Rick.

"I'm gonna go check out the Big Spot. The one I was talking about, just seeing."

"Yeah, I got to go out and check the snares. I don't want to lose whatever we catch to the walkers," Rick says.

"I'll go," Michonne offers.

"You just got here," Carl complains.

"And I'll be back," she assures him.

Rick opens the gates to let the convoy out. Michonne goes with us.

Eventually we reach a local super store called Big Spot. We stop our vehicles and move closer, standing by the fences that surround the store. There are tents set up inside the fence and even an army jeep. "Army came in and put these fences up," Daryl explains. "Made it a place for the people to go. Last week when we spotted this place, there was a bunch of walkers behind this chain-link keeping people out like a bunch of guard dogs."

"So they all just left?" Bob asks.

"Give a listen," Sasha encourages. There is music playing loudly. "You drew 'em out. Put a boom box out there three days ago."

"Hooked it up to two car batteries," Glenn says.

"All right, let's make a sweep," Daryl announces. "Make sure it's safe. Grab what you can. We'll come back tomorrow with more people."

We get inside but end up stopping outside the store windows. We have to wait for walkers to move towards the doors so we can get rid of them. Zach and Daryl are playing a little game while we wait. Well, mostly Zach is playing. "Okay, I think I got it," he says.

"Got what?" Michonne asks.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn," Zach explains.

"He's been trying to guess for, like, six weeks," Daryl says.

"Yeah, I'm pacing myself. One shot a day."

"All right, shoot."

"Well, the way you are at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of... surly. Big swing here. Homicide cop."

Michonne laughs.

"What's so funny?" Daryl questions her.

"Nothing. It makes perfect sense."

"Actually, the man's right. Undercover," Daryl nods.

I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing as well.

"Come on, really?" Zach asks.

"Yep. I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

"Dude, come on, really?"

Daryl clears his throat.

"Okay. I'll just keep guessing, I guess."

"Yeah, you keep doing that."

The walkers have moved to the front of the store so we go to the front doors and get ready.

"All right, we go in, stay in formation for the sweep," Sasha says. "After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?"

"Was there ever a time that you weren't the boss of me?" her brother Tyreese asks.

"You had a few years before I was born."


	24. Twenty-Four

It happens fast. Bob accidentally knocks over a shelf of alcohol inside the store and it kind of pins him beneath it. Daryl and I both rush over to him.

"You all right? Ya cut or somethin?" Daryl asks him.

"No, man, but my foot is caught," he answers.

"All right. He's just caught," Daryl tells Tyreese as he runs over as well.

"Come on, help me up," Bob pleads.

"What happened?" Glenn shouts from across the store.

"Everyone's all right. We're over in wine and beer!" Zach shouts back.

Zach, Tyreese, and Daryl all lift the shelf together. I stand back, making sure nothing goes wrong. If it does I'll jump in right away.

"I was moving fast, man. I dove right into the drinks," Bob tells us.

"Man, you lucked out," Tyreese responds. "If this thing had come down on you the wrong way..."

A walker startles us all by crashing through the ceiling. He hangs from the ceiling by his intestines. We are all staring with wide eyes as more walkers begin crashing through the roof due to a crashed helicopter on the roof. There are a lot of walkers up there and the more that fall in, the more trouble we will be in.

"Yeah, uh, we should probably go now," Glenn suggests.

"Bob's still stuck. Get him out of there," Daryl says.

More and more walkers crash through*

We fight off walkers in the store while Bob is still kind of pinned. Daryl uses arrows, smashes walkers heads with his crossbow, climbs onto boxes and kicks walkers, and occasionally uses a gun to shoot them. I use a combination of my gun and my dagger. The whole roof is collapsing so we go to grab Bob. Zach lifts the shelf while Daryl kills a walker trying to get to Bob crawling along the floor, smashing it's head into the floor with his foot. Then Daryl grabs onto Bob. He gets Bob but as they turn to go, a walker bites Zach in the leg. It happens before any of us realize what's happening. He screams and falls to the floor where walkers begin to eat him.

"Zach!" Glenn yells.

"Go! Go!" Daryl shouts, motioning for everyone to follow him out of the store and we run as the ceiling collapses behind us.

When we get back to the prison, Daryl goes to tell Beth the bad news. I give them their privacy for that. Afterwards, Daryl tells me Beth didn't even seem to care much. He also tells me she hugged him and that makes me smile.  
\---

Things are beginning to fall apart. We can never be that happy for long. I knew eventually that something would have to go wrong. I just never expected it to be this bad. I'm outside with some of the others when it happens. It starts with a gunshot inside the prison. We can hear it echoing throughout the prison yard.

We all run towards the prison as fast as we can. Rick yells to Carl "Get in the tower with Maggie. Don't argue, go!"

"Walkers in D!" Glenn shouts.

There's no time to panic. We just have to go into action.

"What about C?" Rick demands.

"Clear!" Sasha answers. "We locked the gates to the tombs. Hershel's on guard."

"It ain't a breach," Daryl says.

We head inside the prison to secure it. People are screaming inside the cell block. It's total chaos. We start killing all of the walkers. These are our people. They were anyway. Now they are the dead. I can hear Rick continuously asking people if they are bit then he pushes them along to safety, encouraging them to get inside cells where they will be safe.

Daryl suddenly scoops up a kid, rescuing him from a walker. He hands the kid off to Karen.

Once we manage to get the walkers killed, we go up the stairs. A walker jumps out and tries to attack Glenn.

"Get down!" Daryl tells him then he shoots the walker with an arrow.

"Thanks," Glenn says, breathing heavy as Daryl helps him up. It's Rick, Glenn, and Daryl with me at the moment. We all look at the walker that Daryl just killed.

"Oh, it's Patrick," Daryl frowns.

I frown too, sad to see it. Poor kid... What happened?

We walk out and look at the cell block.

"That's all of 'em," Daryl announces.

People start to move from their cells now. Some are crying. Some are cleaning up the bodies.

Rick, Bob, Daryl, Dr. S, Hershel, and me all gather around a dead walker body. Dr. S has a real name actually, Caleb Subramania but that's too much of a mouthful for most of us to say all the time.

"No bites. No wounds. I think he just died," Rick says.

"Horribly, too. Pleurisy aspiration," Dr. S says.

"Choked to death on his own blood," Hershel clarifies. "Caused those trails down his face."

"I've seen them before on a walker outside the fences," Rick informs us.

"I saw 'em on Patrick, too," Daryl says.

"They're from the internal lung pressure building up- like if you shake a soda can and pop the top. Only imagine your eyes, ears, nose, and throat are the top," Dr. S explains.

"It's a sickness from the walkers?" Bob asks.

"No, these things happened before they were around. Could be pneumococcal. Most likely an aggressive flu strain. Del?" Dr. S turns to me, apparently waiting my diagnosis. He's been trying to teach me everything he can. He's a smart guy and he went to many years of medical school. He has a lot of experience. It's a lot of knowledge to offer me. And I've been doing my best to absorb it all like a sponge. You never know what could happen, especially now with things like this going on. If something were to happen to any of the medical people we have here, then the others better be prepared to step up to the plate. It's only Dr. S, Hershel who was a veterinarian, and me who never made it through nursing school.

I take a moment then I say "I agree. It has to be some type of flu. Something like swine flu. Carl said one of the pigs was sick."

Dr. S nods, happy with my assessment.

"Someone locked him in just in time," Hershel says. This walker was found already locked inside his cell.

"No, man," Daryl shakes his head. "Charlie used to sleepwalk. Locked himself in. Hell, he was just eatin' barbecue yesterday. How could somebody die in a day just from a cold?"

"Del's right," Rick says. "There was a sick pig. It died quick. I also saw a sick boar in the woods."

"We need to do something about those hogs," Hershel replies.

"Bugs like to run through close quarters," Bob says. "Doesn't get any closer than this."

"All of us in here, we've all been exposed," Hershel says.


	25. Twenty-Five

We have a meeting in the library, members of the 'council.' That's what they call it but it's really mostly our old group and the few others that we trust enough to help lead the prison and keep things in order here. Right now, me, Daryl, Sasha, Carol, Hershel, and Glenn are all gathered together. Daryl is sitting on a backwards chair. I sit in a chair right beside him. 

"Patrick was fine yesterday, and he died overnight. Two people died that quick? We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed," Carol says.

"That's everyone in that cell block. That's all of us. Maybe more," Daryl replies.

"We know that this sickness can be lethal. We don't know how easily it spreads," Hershel says. "Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?"

"We can't just wait and see," Carol comments. "And there's children. It isn't just the illness. If people die, they become a threat."

"We need a place for them to go," Hershel points out. "They can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up."

"We can use cell block A," Carol suggests.

"Death row?" Glenn frowns. "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade."

"It's clean. That's an upgrade," Daryl argues. "Think that'll work for Dr. S?"

"I'll help Caleb get it set up," Hershel offers.

We are all interrupted by the sound of a woman coughing so we go to investigate.

We find Tyreese walking with Karen.

"You okay?" Carol asks her.

She nods.

"You sure? You don't sound so good."

"We're just taking her back to my cell so she can rest," Tyreese tells us.

"Tyreese, I don't think that's a good idea," Hershel protests.

"Why? What's going on now?" Karen asks.

"We think it's a flu or something. That's how Patrick died," Glenn informs them.

"Judith was in that cell block," Hershel says. "She's vulnerable. Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away."

"It killed Patrick?" Karen looks scared.

"She's gonna be okay," Tyreese insists. "Now that we know what Patrick died from we can treat it, right?"

"Don't panic," Hershel assures them. "We're going to figure this out. But we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. I'll see what we have in the way of medications."

"David from the Decatur group, he's been coughing, too," Karen tells us.

"I'll get him," Glenn offers. "There's some empty clean cells in the tombs, right?"

"Yeah, we'll meet you there," Sasha says.

Glenn runs off.

"Let's get you settled," Sasha brings Karen along.

"I'll get to burying the dead ones," Daryl offers.

"You wear gloves and a mask," Hershel warns.

Daryl nods. "Uh-huh." He starts to walk away then pauses to talk to Carol. "You all right?"

"I'm worried about Lizzie and Mica. They were around Patrick," she says. Carol has taking a real liking to two little girls we took in. I think they remind her of her daughter.

"We all were. Karen and David are gonna be separated till they feel better."

"You're right. Are you okay?"

"Mm-hmm," he nods quickly. "Got to be."

Daryl heads outside to dig graves to bury the dead. He has on a sleeveless shirt and his vest. I hand him some work gloves. "Thanks," he says. "You need to go in?"

I shake my head. "Not right now."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. It just...shook me up a little."

"I know..."

I throw my arms around him tightly. He's caught off guard at first then his arms circle around my waist. He holds me close for a long time.

Finally I pull back. I fasten a bandana over his face, covering him from nose down. "Please...be careful," I beg.

He pauses, taking in the serious and desperate look on my face. Then he nods. "I will. Promise. I...I ain't leavin ya. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Same goes for ya. Be careful."

"I will."

Rick walks over to us. "I screwed up too many times," he sighs. "Those calls you got to make, I start down that road... I almost lost my boy- who he was. Whatever else this place needs, I'm here for it."

"For what it's worth, you see mistakes. I see when the shit hits, you're standing there with a shovel," Daryl says.

Rick is literally standing there with a shovel and I would laugh if the situation weren't so terrible.

Suddenly Maggie runs out, yelling to us. "Rick! Daryl! Del!"

We take off running to the fence. Maggie is trying to kill walkers through the fence. It's starting to cave in because there are so many walkers pressed against it.

"Shit," I curse.

"The noise drew 'em out and now this part's starting to give," Maggie says.

We pull out our weapons and start trying to kill the walkers. Glenn and Sasha and Tyreese join in as well.

"Are you seeing this? Is someone feeding these things?" Sasha asks us, pointing at dead rats with bites in them.

"Heads up," Daryl points at the fence caving in.

"This part of the fence, now!" Sasha yells.

"Hold on, hold on. Hey! It's gonna give!" Glenn warns us.

We are all attempting to push and hold the fence up but now we're forced to back up.

"The fence keeps bending in like that, those walkers are coming over it," Sasha says.

"Daryl, get the truck. I know what to do," Rick announces.

Daryl nods and runs off. He gets the Jeep and drives it out. There is a trailer behind it with Rick on it. Rick has a pig. He cuts the pig so it bleeds and drops it for the walkers then they drive off. The pig attracts walkers. They drive a little bit then do another pig to attract more walkers. Meanwhile the rest of us are reinforcing the fence.

It's one bad thing after another now. Next thing I know, Tyreese is running to us telling us that Karen and David are dead and someone killed them. Of course this must be a mistake, I tell myself. But it's not. He takes Rick, Carol, Daryl, and me to the roof to show us the burned bodies of Karen and David. So now, not only do we have people dying of illness. We have a killer among us. It seems like this can't get any worse.

"You found them like this?" Rick asks.

"I came to see Karen... and I saw the blood on the floor. Then I smelled them. Somebody dragged them out here and set them on fire! They killed them and set them on fire!" He's obviously angry. He abruptly steps up on Rick which prompts Daryl to step up as well in case he needs to have Rick's back. I automatically move closer, ready to jump in as well if I need to. "You're a cop. You find out who did this and you bring 'em to me. You understand? You bring 'em to me!"

"We'll find out who-" Daryl starts to say and attempts to pull Tyreese away but Tyreese shakes him off.

"I need to say it again?"

Rick shakes his head. "No. I know what you're feeling. I've been there. You saw me there. It's dangerous."

"Karen didn't deserve this. David didn't deserve it. Nobody does!"

"All right, man, let's-" Daryl says, reaching to grab his arm.

Tyreese shoves Daryl back against a wall, yelling. I gasp and start to move forward along with Carol and Rick. He has his hands on Daryl's chest but Daryl puts up his hand to stop us. "Man, I ain't going nowhere till I find out who did this!"

"We're on the same side, man," Daryl reminds him.

"Hey, look, I know what you're going through," Rick says. "We've all lost someone. We know what you're going through right now, but you've got to calm down." He places a hand on Tyreese who then turns and shoves him.

"You need to step the hell back!"

"She wouldn't want you being like this."

Tyreese punches him, knocking him to the ground.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Carol yells.

Tyreese punches Rick again so Daryl jumps on his back and grabs him by the shoulders, pulling him back away from Rick. "That's enough!"

Rick suddenly runs over and starts attacking Tyreese. Daryl has to pull Rick away then.

"Let go of me!" Rick shouts

"No," Daryl tells him.


	26. Twenty-Six

There's a council meeting the next day. Hershel, Glenn, Daryl, Carol, and I gather together. "It's spread," Hershel announces. "Everyone who survived the attack in cell block D. Sasha, Caleb, and now others."

"Oh, Jesus," Daryl frowns.

"So what do we do?" Carol questions.

"First things first. Cell block A is isolation. We keep the sick people there like we tried with Karen and David."

"What the hell we gonna do about that?" Daryl asks.

"Ask Rick to look into it," Carol suggests. "Try to make a timeline- who's where when. But what are we gonna do to stop this?"

"There is no stopping it," Hershel says."You get it, you have to go through it."

"But it just kills you?" Michonne asks, walking in to join us.

"The illness doesn't. The symptoms do. We need antibiotics."

"We've been through every pharmacy nearby. And then some," Daryl responds.

"That veterinary college at West Peachtree Tech, that's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same we need," Hershel informs us.

"That's 50 miles."

"Too big a risk before. Ain't now," Daryl says, standing up to go. "I'm gonna take a group out. Best not waste any more time."

"I'm in," Michonne agrees.

"You haven't been exposed. Daryl has," Hershel points out. "You get in a car with him..."

"He's already given me fleas," Michonne says.

Hershel chuckles. "I can draw you a map. There are other precautions I feel we should take."

"Like what?" Carol asks.

"There's no telling how long it'll be before Daryl and his group return. Wouldn't it make sense for us to separate the most vulnerable? We can use the administration building. Separate office, separate room."

"Who is the most vulnerable?" Glenn questions.

"The very young."

"What about the old?"

"Them too," I say. "The young and the old."

"Are you staying or going?" Hershel asks me.

"I'm gonna' go."

"You should stay here," Carol argues. "We could use you taking care of the sick people. There's more sick people than doctors."

I bite my lip then shake my head. "No...I can't. I'm sorry."

"You've already been exposed. And Dr. S has been training you."

"I know."

"You were training to be a nurse right? Volunteering at the hospital when this all hit? You wanted to take care of sick people."

"That was different," I shake my head. "I know I should...but I can't. Hershel and Dr. S are taking care of it. There ain't nothin I can do to help except go find medicine for 'em. I know what I'm lookin' for. I'll be a better help there than here."

"You're scared, aren't you? That's it, isn't it? You're afraid you'll get sick if you're around them too much."

"The group needs me."

"They need you taking care of the sick. You're only thinking about yourself."

I abruptly run out of the room. I get outside and puke all over the grass. Daryl and Michonne are right behind me. Hershel is coming along too.

"You're sick?" Michonne asks.

I shake my head, breathing heavy. I wipe my mouth on my hand. "No, I swear. I ain't sick."

"You haven't been coughing?" Hershel asks. He reaches over to touch my forehead. "No fever."

"I ain't sick!" I insist.

"You puked," Michonne says.

"I'm scared! I'm scared...okay? I'm sorry."

Daryl grabs me and pulls me into his arms. I sniffle, trying hard not to cry. He holds me tightly against him. "She's goin' with us on the run. Anyone who don't like it best shut the hell up," he threatens.

"Caleb and I can handle things here. Del will be more useful to you all there. She knows what she's looking for," Hershel agrees.

We go get ready to leave. Daryl and I stand together looking under the hood of a car. "Son of a bitch is about a quart low," Daryl complains.

"You still keep it in the bottom of tower three?" Michonne asks.

"Yeah."

"I'll go get one."

"Hey. I'm glad you're here."

"Where else would I be?" she questions.

"Runnin' off."

"You know I'm not running off. So it's just gonna be me and you and Del like in the old days?" She smiles.

Daryl smiles as well. "Yeah, and Bob. Still, feels like we could use another person."

"Who else isn't sick?"

"We don't ask Rick. He wants to stay here with Carl and Little Ass-Kicker. Keep 'em safe. Plus there's plenty of stuff he could do here."

"So who else we got?"

"Tyreese?" I suggest.

Daryl and Michonne both look at me with hesitation then they finally agree. "Better go talk to him," Daryl says.

"I'll go with you," I offer.

We find him inside the prison standing just outside the sick area.

"Oh, there you are," Daryl says. "Took me damn near forever to find you. Whatcha' doing?

"Somebody needs to stand watch," he answers.

"Man, I want to find them, too. Put a bolt in them for what they did. These people are cut off. Ain't no way anyone's gettin' in and out without a whole bunch of people seein' 'em."

"Sasha's in there. I ain't going nowhere."

"Standing guard ain't gonna do no good unless we come back with them meds."

"We could really use your help, Tyreese," I add.

He doesn't reply so Daryl decides that it's time to give up. "All right. We're gassing up by the front gate in case you change your mind."

We leave together and go back to working on the car. It's not long before someone else walks over to us...Bob. "Everything look all right?" he asks.

"It's in good shape," I tell him.

"Zach kept this thing runnin' pretty good," Daryl adds.

"This is Zach's car?"

"Yeah, fastest one we got. You all right?"

"You really want me coming along?" 

"Yup," Daryl nods. "We need you."

Before anything else can be done, Tyreese walks over as well.

"What's up?" Daryl asks him.

"Still got room for one more?"

"Hell, yeah."

"Good. Just got to get my gear."

"All right."


	27. Twenty-Seven

Daryl drives Zach's car. I sit in the passenger seat. Bob, Tyreese, and Michonne are in the back. Daryl is talking to her about the whole governor thing. "Hey, I know ya weren't runnin' off. The thing is, that trail went cold. Ya know that, right? If it was any different, I'd be right out there with ya."

A faint voice abruptly comes through the radio static, shocking us all. "...find sanctuary."

"Was that a voice?" Bob asks.

"Shh," Daryl quiets him. We all listen intently.

"...determined to survive... ...keep alive," the radio voice continues.

Next thing I know we are suddenly swerving on the road in order to avoid a bunch of walkers. The tires squeal and Daryl struggles for control of the car. We all brace ourselves the best that we can.

Daryl stops the car for a second and looks around. There's a huge herd of walkers, way too thick to get through. He throws the car in reverse but we quickly get stuck on some walker bodies laying on the ground. 

"We're jammed up," he says. "Make a run for the gaps right there. Make a run for the woods and you don't stop for nothing, you hear me? Now!"

We all spill out of the car and kill walkers as we run. Tyreese is the only one who doesn't move and there's no time. We have to keep moving. We're forced to leave him behind.

We get into the woods and keep running until Daryl tells us to hold up so he can reload his crossbow. I lean over with my hands on my knees, taking advantage of the moment to catch my breath. Until I hear a rustling noise coming from the bushes. We all get ready with our weapons to kill more walkers. A few stumble forward but the surprising part is...Tyreese is right behind them. He falls to his knees, obviously exhausted and injured. We get to work killing the walkers then we help Tyreese up and continue to run before more decide to show up.

Eventually we're able to stop running. We reach some dirt roads leading into a town. There are no walkers chasing us so we slow down to a normal walking pace. Daryl pauses to pick up a rock. He licks his thumb then uses it to clean it.

"Is that jasper?" Michonne questions.

"Mm-hmm." Daryl nods.

"It's a good color. Brings out your eyes."

I can't help but smile a little at that comment. Daryl rolls his eyes.

"When Miss Richards went into A block, we were leaving," he explains. "Asked me to keep a lookout. I'm gonna use it for her old man's marker."

"You know all them back there?"

He nods again. "You stay in one place more than a couple hours, you'd be surprised what you pick up."

We go into the town and come upon a gas station. There's a car outside of it so Daryl and I try to take a look at it. 

"We gotta find us a new battery," he tells the others.

We can see through the window that the building part of the gas station has walkers inside it.

"Got some friends inside. Come on. Let's clear a path, see how many we got," Daryl suggests.

There's a tree down in front of the gas station and there all kinds of vines growing around it. We start to hack at them so that we can get inside. "Hey, man, go easy. We don't know what we're dealing with," Daryl warns Tyreese. He's been acting pretty strange lately and he's going at this a little too intense. " 

As we manage to clear some of the debris, a door opens enough for walkers to get out. We quickly start to kill them. Except for Tyreese. He is wrestling with a walker and he refuses to let go of it until Daryl finally drags it off of him and Bob shoots it in the head. 

"Why the hell didn't you let go?" Michonne demands.

I give Tyreese a disapproving look then head towards the building to find the car battery. Bob and Daryl quickly follow me. Michonne and Tyreese stay outside to continue clearing the tree and vines around the car we found. I grab the battery off of a shelf and present it to them. 

"Hmm, cells look pretty dry," Bob comments.

"A little distilled water will clear that right up," Daryl replies.

I nod in agreement. "It'll be fine."

We continue to make our way through the building. Daryl shines his flashlight on something on the floor. "That's puke," he comments.

"Thanks for the commentary," I tease him.

He rolls his eyes again. "Those douche bags in the vines took themselves out, holding hands- kumbaya style," he continues.

"They wanted to go out together same as they lived," Bob says. "That makes them douche bags?"

"It does if they could have gotten out."

I grab a water jug off of the shelf. "Got it."

"Everybody makes it, till they don't," Bob goes on. "People nowadays are dominoes. What they did, maybe it's about not having to watch them fall."

"Right." Daryl shakes his head.

Personally, I have to side with Daryl. I'm not a fan of the suicide pact shit.

We find another walker inside but it's pinned under furniture. It's not going anywhere. Daryl and I start to walk away from it. It's a waste of energy at this point. But Bob kills it anyway.

We go outside to work on the car. Daryl and I work on it together while Bob stands nearby watching. He's starting to annoy me.

"You never told us about the group you were with before," Daryl says to him.

"Which one? You know, when you found me out on that road, I almost kept walking."

"Why is that?"

"Cause I was done being a witness. Two times, two different groups. I was the last one standing. Like I was supposed to see it happen over and over, like it's some kind of curse. But, when it's just you out there with the quiet... Used to be I'd drink a bottle of anything just so I could shut my eyes at night. Figured the prison, the people, thought it'd be easier. The run to the big spot, I did it for me."

"You gotta keep busy." Daryl takes a sip from the jug of water then offers it to me so I take a drink from it as well then pass it back to him.

It soothes my dry throat. I needed it after all of that running we did earlier.

"No. I did it so I could get me a bottle. Of anything," Bob admits. "I picked it up, I held it in my hand, but I put it down. I put it down so hard it took the whole damn shelf with it. That's what brought on the walkers, and that's what got Zach killed."

"That's bullshit," Daryl shakes his head.

I get that Bob didn't mean for that to happen but I'm still not his biggest fan.

"I was with a group," I tell him. "Before I met these people. They were a good group, a lot of good people. They all died. Every single last one of 'em. Kids, babies, adults...all of 'em. And I was all alone. But I didn't let that stop me. I didn't sit there and pity myself. I didn't let it stop me when I had to take out my own sister because she turned. People in this group have died. A lot of people. But I keep goin.' You got to."

He sighs dramatically.

" Why don't you get in there and try the engine?" Daryl suggests to him. " It's a red and a green wire. Go on. It ain't rocket science. Give it some gas."

Bob gets in and the car starts. Daryl whistles to Ty and Michonne.

"You ain't gonna be standing alone, not no more," Daryl tells Bob.

Then we head out in the direction of the veterinary college.


	28. Twenty-Eight

As soon as we arrive at the veterinary college, we start grabbing supplies. I quickly make my way through the medicines and medical supplies, grabbing everything that I know will be useful to us.

"Anything ending with -cillin or -cin, C-I-N, grab it," Bob instructs the others. "We'll dissolve the pills in the IVs, put 'em right into the bloodstream. Dosage will be tricky but considering the time we lost..."

"Bags, tubes, clamps, connectors. Everything on the list," Tyreese says, showing us his full bag.

"What about y'all?" Daryl asks.

"Yeah, we got it all." Bob nods.

"Yeah. We're good," Michonne agrees.

"All right, let's roll," Daryl says.

We start to leave but there are a bunch of walkers in the hall so we quickly duck into another room. We move through with flashlights because it's so dark inside. We come upon a set of doors that are starting to break open. There's a crack in the middle with walker fingers reaching through. 

"How many?" Daryl asks.

"I can't tell." Michonne shakes her head.

We all get our guns out and Daryl opens the door, breaking the lock. The walkers flood in and we kill them. Then we are on the run again and there are still more walkers right behind us. We continue to kill any walkers that get too close. We reach more doors but they are all locked.

"Don't have an exit," Michonne says.

"Then we make one," Daryl tells her.

"Get down!" Tyreese warns us. He throws a fire extinguisher through a window to break it open.

"Come on, move it!" Daryl instructs. There's no time to waste. He starts helping people up and out the window. 

We gather on the roof where we are supposed to jump down to the walkway below. Before we can, Bob trips and the walkers grab his bag from below but he is refusing to abandon it so he is hanging over the edge trying to hold on to the bag.

"Let go of the bag, man!" Daryl demands.

He won't so we all go to him and manage to pull him back in along with his bag. The bag opens and spills out it's contents which is simply a bottle of alcohol, nothing else...no medical supplies.

"You got no meds in your bag? Just this?" Daryl asks him. "You should have kept walking that day." He shakes his head disapprovingly then starts to throw the booze bottle away*

"Don't!" Bob stops him.

I can't believe this. We have been giving Bob a chance to prove himself in the group like he wanted. We were still nice and forgiving to him when he confessed about how he accidentally caused Zach to die. Now he came along on this supply run with us just so he can grab alcohol, forgoing all of the medical supplies our sick dying people need. He nearly died from the walkers just now so he wouldn't have to lose his alcohol. That says an awful lot about him as a person and it shows me that we don't need him in our group.

Daryl gets all up in Bob's face and takes Bob's gun away from his belt.

"Just let it go, Daryl," Tyreese encourages. "The man's made his choice. Nothing you can do about it. Just gotta let it go."

"I didn't want to hurt nobody. It was just for when it gets quiet," Bob tries to defend himself.

"Take one sip. When those meds get in our people, I will beat your ass into the ground. You hear me?" Daryl threatens as he hands the alcohol back to Bob. 

We leave and Bob follows behind us. He's getting more than he deserves right now. I don't feel sorry for him and if he ever screws up again I will encourage Daryl to kick his ass. Hell, I'll even kick it myself if I have to.

We all go back to the car we found. It's a mini-van actually. As Michonne gets in she tells Daryl "You were right, what you said before. About the trail going cold. I don't need to go out anymore."

"Good," he tells her.

We drive off.

When we arrive back at the prison, it's already nighttime. We pull into the gates and find Rick and Carl surrounded by a dead walkers. Apparently, part of the fence broke which allowed them into this section. We jump out of the mini-van as soon as it comes to a stop and rush over to them. My heart is beating fast.

"Sasha? How's Sasha?" Tyreese asks.

"I don't know. I'm sorry," Rick answers.

"Well, get in there. We got this," Daryl says.

We go inside and find that a lot happened while we were gone besides the fence breaking. Apparently a few sick people died and woke up as walkers and they got loose, attacking. It's a mess.

The next day when the sun is out, we begin the task of taking the bodies away from the prison and burning them. Daryl, Tyreese, and I stand by Hershel. We all have gloves on to deal with the bodies. "How's Glenn doing?" Tyreese asks Hershel.

"He made it through the night. He's breathing on his own now. Maggie and Bob are with him. He seems stable enough for me to get some air."

"He's a tough son of a bitch," Daryl says.

"He is."

"You're a tough son of a bitch."

"I am."

"How about Carol? She up in A block with Lizzie?"

"No. Talk to Rick about her. She's okay, just talk to him."

That doesn't sound good at all...

Michonne walks over and gets into the Jeep. The trailer behind it has bodies on it.

"You heading out?" Hershel asks her.

"You want to come?" she offers.

"Hell, yeah."

He gets in with her.

Daryl, Tyreese, and I get into a truck together.

Once that job is done, Daryl decides to go talk to Rick about Carol. I decide to follow because I want to know what happened as well. I used to be an outsider in this group and now I'm an important member of it. My opinion matters. I do my part to take care of the group and to protect them. I'm good at what I do. Not the best, but good. That's according to Rick anyway. I like being a part of the group.

Rick tells us that he left Carol in town because she was the one killed Karen and David.

"Man, you couldn't have waited till we got back?" Daryl asks. "Until Tyreese got back? I could've handled that."

Rick shakes his head. "She killed two of our own. She couldn't be here. She's gonna be all right. She has a car, supplies, weapons. She's a survivor."

"Stop saying that like you don't believe it."

"She did it. She said it was for us. That's how it was in her head. She wasn't sorry."

"Man, that's her, but that ain't her. What are we supposed to do about those two girls?"

"I told her we'd look after them. I haven't told Tyreese yet. I don't know how he's gonna take it."

"Let's go find out," Daryl suggests.

We go find Tyreese in the basement area. "Rick, that you? You guys got to see this."

"Can we take a beat? There's something we need to talk about."

"It can wait. Come on. Look," he encourages us to follow him so we do.

There's a dead squirrel all cut open on the floor.

"The hell?" Daryl mutters.

"I was just looking for... answers... and I found this. Same person that killed Karen and David did this. Remember the rats at the fence? They showed up the same day she was killed. We got a psychopath living with us. We got to find him, Rick. And I'm not gonna sleep until we do."

"Tyreese... whoever did this, I don't think that's who killed Karen," Rick tells him.

"Why?"

Before Rick can give him an answer a loud explosion goes off.


	29. Twenty-Nine

We all start running. We go out to the prison gates where many of the others from inside the prison have gathered already.

My eyes widen at the sight awaiting us. The governor is here with a bunch of people with trucks and even a tank.

"Rick! Come down here! We need to talk," he shouts over.

"It's not up to me," Rick shakes his head. "There's a council now. They run this place."

"Is Hershel on the council? What about Michonne? She on the council, too?"

We all stare in horror as some of the governor's guys bring out Hershel and Michonne handcuffed.

"I don't make decisions anymore," Rick goes on.

"You're making the decisions today, Rick," the governor insists. "Come down here. Let's have that talk."

Rick goes out to the governor by himself. I feel helpless at the moment and I hate it.

"We can't take 'em all on. We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more. When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?" Daryl talks to us all quietly, taking the lead while Rick is talking to the governor. We can see them but they are far enough away that we can't hear what they are saying.

"Day before we hit the Big Spot," Sasha answers. "We were running low on rations then. We're lower now."

"Yeah, we'll manage. Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know."

"What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad?" Tyreese questions. "How long do we wait?"

"As long as we can."

I know I'm not giving up the prison without a fight. This is our home.

Daryl quietly starts handing out guns to everyone slowly.

"We got to do something," Carl says.

"Your dad's got it," Daryl reassures him.

"They're talking. We could kill the Governor right now."

"From 50 yards?"

"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."

"Yeah, or you could start somethin' else. You got to trust him."

I nod in agreement. "It's gonna be alright, Carl."

We are all watching what's going on with Rick and the governor. Suddenly he wings his sword and cuts Hershel's throat. Everyone gasps. Beth starts crying. And then the shooting starts. We fight from behind the prison fences but it's not long before the governor's tank moves forward and knocks down our prison fences. The governor's people move in towards the prison. 

A bunch of our people go running for the bus now as planned. I stick close to Daryl, shooting at the governor's men. The bus takes off without us. Out of the corner of my eye I can make out some more of our people who didn't get on the bus as well.

Daryl throws a grenade into the tank, destroying it. The guy who was driving jumps out and then Daryl shoots him with an arrow. Beth runs over to us quickly.

"I was trying to find the kids to get them on the bus," Beth tells us.

The kids? Why didn't the kids get on the bus? They were supposed to be the first ones on.

"Where are they?" I ask her, worriedly.

"I think I saw them with Tyreese but I don't know."

"We got to go," Daryl says. He gives us each a shove in the right direction. We all start running together away from the prison and into the woods. The whole prison has become overrun with walkers and there's no way to save it now. All we can do is try to survive. I wish I knew where everyone else was though and if they are okay.

There are a lot of walkers in the woods as well and we kill them if they get too close to us but we don't stop running.  
\---

When we finally do stop because we're all too tired to run any further, we are in the middle of a field. We all collapse onto our backs and gasp for air. I reach over and grab Daryl's hand, squeezing it.

When night falls we build a camp fire in the woods."We should do something," Beth complains. "We aren't the only survivors. We can't be. Rick, Michonne, they could be out here. Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of A block. They could've. You're a tracker. You can track. Come on. The sun will be up soon. If we head out now..."

Neither Daryl or I say anything. I'm exhausted and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing to find the others. There's no telling if anyone is alive from our prison group or where they might have ended up. It's like one big nightmare. I guess I can join Bob's club as far as being the last left standing out of two groups. I'm not about to turn into an alcoholic like him but it's horrible. Everything seems so hopeless right now.

"Fine. If you won't track, I will." Beth storms away.

Daryl and I are forced to follow her to make sure nothing bad happens to her.

Morning comes and the sun rises. We're walking through the woods together. I haven't slept in days and I'm so tired. We keep going. Daryl is tracking some footprints in the mud. "They picked up the pace right here," he points out. "Got out in a hurry. Things went bad."

"Wouldn't kill you to have a little faith," Beth grumbles.

"Yeah, faith. Faith ain't done shit for us. Sure as hell didn't do nothing for your father."

I wince, hearing him mention her father. But I can't really blame him for being angry. We're exhausted and Beth's optimism is annoying.

"They'll be hungry when we find them," she insists.

We come upon some dead walker bodies. Daryl points to leaves nearby with blood on them. "That ain't walker blood."

"The trail keeps going. They fought them off," she says.

"No." Daryl shakes his head. "Got walker tracks all up and down here. At least a dozen of them."

We're all so tired that we don't even notice the walker sneaking up behind Beth until it's almost too late. Daryl manages to drag it off of her and they wrestle for a while until Beth manages to stab it. I got my dagger out as well but she's closer so she gets their first.

We continue on and end up at some train tracks. We can see walkers there eating guts. Daryl starts killing them so I join in, stabbing some of the walkers. When they are all dead, Beth bends down and picks up a shoe. She recognizes it as someone from the prison's and she starts to cry.

At night we go back into the woods and build another fire. I lay down with Daryl and snuggle up to him. Our arms go around each other and I lay half on top of him with my head on his chest. I fall asleep almost instantly and don't wake up until the next afternoon.

I open my eyes and Daryl's still fast asleep, snoring softly. Beth is awake of course. I don't want to get up though so I close my eyes and lay there with Daryl until he finally opens his eyes.

Beth cooks some squirrel we catch over a fire. We eat and then we move on.

It's getting dark again when we find a car with a couple dead bodies. A few walkers stumble over so Daryl and I kill them while Beth searches the car for any useful supplies.

Just when everything seems clear, we hear more walkers approaching. This time it's a whole herd of them. There's no way we could stand a chance against them.

Daryl motions for us all to get into the trunk of the car so we do. It's extremely cramped with all three of us in there. We can hear the walkers passing by. It's starting to thunder and rain as well.

We end up trapped in the trunk until morning. I manage to fall asleep for a little while at least but not for long. When the walkers and the storm have all passed and the sun is up, we climb out of the trunk. My body is sore from being so cramped in the trunk all night.

We grab anything useful from the car and head out into the woods. Eventually we stop to build a fire. Daryl kills a snake and cuts it up to be cooked on the fire. Snake makes a great meal, much better than some of the other choices I'm left with. It's definitely better than eating nothing. I'm starving.

We sit down and eat. "I need a drink," Beth complains.

Daryl tosses her a bottle of water.

"No, I mean a real drink. As in alcohol. I've never had one. 'Cause of my dad. But he's not exactly around anymore, so... I thought we could go find some."

I roll my eyes and Daryl doesn't say anything either. Why on earth does she even care about alcohol at a time like this? 

"Okay. Well, enjoy your snake jerky," Beth says and walks away.

Eventually Daryl and I have to go after her. We get her and bring her back to our little camp, much to her disappointment. 

"I'm not staying in this suck-ass camp!" she insists.

"You had your fun," Daryl tells her.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you feel anything? Yeah, you think everything's screwed. I guess that's a feeling. So you want to spend the rest of our lives staring into a fire and eating mud snakes? Screw that. We might as well do something. I can take care of myself and I'm gonna get a damn drink."

She storms off, again leaving Daryl and I no other option but to go after her. This is getting old really fast.


	30. Thirty

We end up on a golf course and there are walkers in the distance but we decide to head up to the country club. "Golfers like to booze it up, right?" Beth suggests.

I roll my eyes at her. This is even worse than being with Bob.

Daryl picks up a gold club to use as a weapon. He opens the door to look inside first. I follow close behind with my dagger out. Beth walks in slowly behind us.

Inside everything is trashed. There are some walkers hanging from nooses and tons of dead bodies all over the floor. We start gathering supplies. Daryl pockets some money and jewelry. "Why are you keeping all that stuff?" Beth questions.

He shrugs off the question as we hear some walkers approaching. We move further into the country club, looking around the kitchen area with flashlights. Beth splits up to explore on her own. Daryl and I hear a ruckus suddenly and run after her. She is always managing to get herself into trouble. It's incredibly annoying.

We walk over to her and see that she has stabbed a walker to death. I'm actually kind of surprised that she managed to kill it before it ate her. Maybe she's improving her sills at least a little bit...

"Thanks for the help," she says to us sarcastically.

"Ya said you could take care of yourself," Daryl points out. "And ya did."

There are dead bodies on the floor everywhere. On our way through, Beth grabs a new top and sweater and puts them on while Daryl and I look around. She holds up a pink preppy tee to me. "You would look cute in this," she tells me.

I frown at her. I currently have on my boots, fitted jeans, my black sleeveless tee with the angel wings on the front, and my jacket. I like my outfit just fine. "No," I shake my head, and keep walking.

We come across a dead woman on a post and she has a sign on her saying rich bitch. Beth looks horrified. "Help me take her down," she insists.

"It don't matter," Daryl argues. "She's dead."

"It does matter."

Daryl grabs a sheet and places it over the woman's body so that she'll shut up about it already.

We are still making our way through when a clock begins to chime, startling us all. The noise is loud enough to attract walkers. They come stumbling into the room before we have time to get away. Beth backs up against a wall and stares as Daryl and I kill them all. Daryl kills the last one by beating it with a golf club. Blood sprays onto Beth's new top which makes her frown. I roll my eyes at her again.

We finally reach the bar area of the club."We made it," Beth announces. "I know you think this is stupid. And it probably is. But I don't care. All I wanted to do today was lay down and cry, but we don't get to do that. So beat up on walkers if that makes you feel better. I need to do this." She reaches into the bar then holds up a bottle. "I found this. Peach schnapps. Is it good?"

"No," Daryl and I answer in unison.

She shrugs. "Well, it's the only thing left."

After a moment, she begins to cry. I groan. Daryl goes over and smashes the bottle of alcohol before she can protest. "Ain't gonna have your first drink be no damned peach schnapps. Come on," he tells her.

We make our way through the woods together, silent until Beth has to open her mouth as usual. "A motorcycle mechanic."

I raise an eyebrow at her. What the hell?

"That's my guess. For what you were doing before the turn. Did Zach ever guess that one?"

"It don't matter. Hasn't mattered for a long time."

"It's just what people talk about, you know, to feel normal."

"Yeah, well, that never felt normal to me."

We arrive at a small cabin. 

"Found this place with Michonne," Daryl informs us.

Beth frowns. " I was expecting a liquor store."

"No, this is better," he insists.

We go inside and Daryl picks up some bottles and hands them to Beth.

"What's that?" she asks.

"Moonshine. Come on."

He pours the moonshine into a cup and hands it to her.

"All right. That's a real first drink right there." She gives him a face. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's just... my dad always said bad moonshine can make you go blind."

That's nearly laughable. She really isn't the brightest girl, is she?

"Ain't nothing worth seeing out there anymore anyway," Daryl tells her.

She takes a sip then starts to cough. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted." Nonetheless she keeps drinking. "Second round's better."

"Slow down," Daryl informs her.

She pours another glass and hands it to Daryl. "This one's for you."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm good."

"Why?"

"Someone's got to keep watch."

"So, what, you're like my chaperone now?"

"Just drink lots of water."

"Yes, Mr. Dixon."

The house is all run down and shitty. Beth looks around curiously. Daryl is nailing boards to the windows just to be safe. I stand nearby, handing him the boards. Beth holds up a glass ashtray full of cigarettes and laughs. It's shaped like a pink bra.

"Who'd go into a store and walk out with this?" she asks us.

"My dad, that's who," Daryl answers. "He'd set those up on top of the TV set, use them as target practice."

"He shot things inside your house?" She looks shocked, eyes wide, eyebrows raised.

Daryl shrugs. "It was just a bunch of junk anyway. That's how I knew what this place was. That shed out there, my dad had a place just like this. You got your Dumpster chair. That's for sitting in and your drawers all summer drinking. Got your fancy buckets. That's for spitting chaw in after your old lady tells you to stop smoking. You got your internet." He points at a newspaper, indicating that it was the internet for him.

"Not everyone grew up on no fancy farm," I tell her.

"What was your home like?"

I cross my arms over my chest, not really fond of telling her about my life. "It was a regular lookin' home I guess. Nothing special. A little better shape than this place. My father was kind of a dumbass too."

The sound of growling outside breaks our thoughts of reminiscing. We take a look out one the windows.

"It's just one of 'em," Daryl announces.

"Should we get it?" Beth asks.

"If he keeps making too much noise, yeah."

"Well, if we're gonna be trapped again, we might as well make the best of it. Unless you're too busy chaperoning, Mr. Dixon."

"Hell, might as well make the best of it. Home, sweet home."

He sits down in the recliner and takes a drink of moonshine. I pour some out for myself into a glass and sit down on the floor near the recliner.

Soon he moves to the floor with me and Beth suggests that we play some type of drinking game. She is sitting on the floor as well, facing us. There's a small table between us.

Daryl drinks some of the moonshine and sits down in the recliner.

"So first I say something I've never done and if you have done it, you drink, and if you haven't, I drink. Then we switch," she explains."You really don't know this game?"

"I never needed a game to get lit before."

I nod in agreement with him.

"How do you know this game?"

"My friends played. I watched. Okay, I'll start. I've never shot a crossbow. So now you drink."

"Ain't much of a game." He takes a drink.

I take a drink as well.

"You've shot one?" Beth asks me.

I nod. "Daryl taught me."

"Alright, now it's Daryl's turn. Just say the first thing that pops into your head."

"I've never been out of Georgia."

"Really? Okay, good one." She takes a drink but I don't since I've never been out of Georgia either. 

I guess it's my turn now. "I've never...had any pets."

Beth drinks. "Okay. I've never... been drunk and did something I regretted."

Daryl drinks and so do I.

"I've done a lot of things," he says.

"Me too," I sigh.

"I've never been on vacation."

"What about camping?" she asks.

"No, that was just something I had to learn to hunt."

"Your dad teach you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay." She takes a drink. I don't have to. "I've never... been in jail. I mean, as a prisoner."

She's looking at Daryl and me expectantly. "Is that what you think of me?" he asks her.

"Yeah..." I agree, frowning.

"I didn't mean anything serious. I just thought, you know, like the drunk tank. Even my dad got locked up for that back in the day."

Daryl glares at her. "Drink up."

"Wait. Prison guard. Were you a prison guard before?"

"No."

Everyone knows what I did before this all happened. And I happen to know what Daryl did as well. He didn't have any real job. But I let people play their game if they want.

She takes a drink. "Del, it's your turn."

I shake my head. "This is stupid."

"I'm gonna take a piss," Daryl gets up angrily and kicks a jar. It shatters.

"You have to be quiet," Beth scolds him.

He goes into the corner of the room to pee. "Can't hear you! I'm taking a piss!" he shouts.

"Daryl, don't talk so loud."

"What, are you my chaperone now?" He walks back over to us. "Oh, wait. Let's keep playing your game. I've never eaten frozen yogurt. Never had a pet pony. Never got nothing from Santa Claus. Never relied on anyone for protection before. Hell, I don't think I've ever relied on anyone for anything! Never sung out in front of a big group out in public like everything was fun. Like everything was a big game. I sure as hell never cut my wrists looking for attention."

He pauses a moment from his yelling. We can hear the walker still growling outside.

"Sounds like our friend out there is trying to call all of his buddies."

"Daryl, just shut up," Beth insists.

"Hey, you never shot a crossbow before? I'm gonna teach ya right now. Come on. It's gonna be fun."

He runs outside and we chase after him. 

"We should stay inside. Daryl, cut it out!" she complains.

"Dumbass," he says to the walker. "Come here, dumbass." He shoots the walker with an arrow, pinning it to the wall of the house outside. He continues to shoot it but not in the head.

"Daryl," Beth says.

"You want to shoot?"

"I don't know how."

"Oh, it's easy. Come here. Right corner."

"Let's practice later."

"Come on, it's fun."

"Just stop it. Daryl!"

"Come here. Eight ball."

"Just kill it!"

I don't feel like interrupting. Daryl's angry but I can't blame after the way Beth behaves and judges us.

"Come here, Greene. Let's pull these out. Get a little more target practice." She runs over and stabs it in the head, killing it. "What the hell you do that for? I was having fun."

"No, you were being a jackass! If anyone found my dad-"

"Don't," he shakes his head. "That ain't remotely the same."

"Killing them is not supposed to be fun!"

"What do you want from me, girl, huh?"

"I want to you stop acting like you don't give a crap about anything. Like nothing we went through matters. Like none of the people we lost meant anything to you. It's bullshit!"

I can't believe this...

"Is that what you think?" he demands.

"That's what I know."

"You don't know nothin'."

"I know you look at me and you just see another dead girl. I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I've survived and you don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them. But I made it and you don't get to treat me like crap just because you're afraid."

"I ain't afraid of nothing."

"I remember. When that little girl came out of the barn after my mom. You were like me. And now God forbid you ever let anybody get too close except Del."

"Too close, huh? You know all about that. Ya lost two boyfriends, you can't even shed a tear. Your whole family's gone, all ya can do is just go out looking for hooch like some dumb college bitch."

"Screw you. You don't get it."

"No, you don't get it! Everyone we know is dead!" he yells.

"You don't know that!"

I don't think they are all dead...

"Might as well be, 'cause you ain't never gonna see 'em again. Rick. You ain't never gonna see Maggie again."

That's probably true though...

"Daryl, just stop."

"No! The Governor rolled right up to our gates. Maybe if I wouldn't have stopped looking. Maybe 'cause I gave up. That's on me. And your dad. Maybe I could have done something."

He starts to cry with his back to us. She starts to walk towards him and I put my hands up to stop her. "Don't you dare go near him!" I hiss.

Then I go over to Daryl and wrap my arms around him.

Beth goes inside the house, leaving us alone together.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

Daryl cries in my arms. "Shh..." I try to comfort him. "Don't listen to her. She's stupid. You did everything ya could have done. You were amazing. Okay?"

He sniffles, trying to pull himself together. Our eyes meet. He nods slowly.

I wipes his face with my hands then lean in to kiss him. "I miss the others. This whole situation is shit. That's the way the world is now. But I have you...and you have me. That's all we need. We got each other and we'll get through everything together. Okay? As long as we have each other we'll be okay."

"Okay," he nods again.

I give him another firm embrace. "I love you."

"You too."

Night falls and we sit on the porch together. Beth sits on one side facing us. Daryl and I sit together close enough that our sides are touching.

"I get why my dad stopped drinking," Beth announces.

"Ya feel sick?" Daryl asks her.

"Nope," she shakes her head. "I wish I could feel like this all the time. That's bad."

"You're lucky you're a happy drunk."

"Yeah, I'm lucky. Some people can be real jerks when they drink."

I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm a dick when I'm drunk," Daryl says. "Merle had this dealer. This janky little white guy. A tweaker. One day we were over at his house watching TV. Wasn't even noon yet and we were all wasted. Merle was high. We were watching this show and Merle was talking all this dumb stuff about it. And he wouldn't let up. Merle never could. Turns out it was the tweaker's kids' favorite show. And he never sees his kids, so he felt guilty about it or something. So he punches Merle in the face. So I started hitting the tweaker, like, hard. As hard as I can. Then he pulls a gun, sticks it right here." He pauses the story momentarily to point at his own head. "He says, "I'm gonna kill you, bitch." So Merle pulls his gun on him. Everyone's yelling. I'm yelling. I thought I was dead. Over a dumb cartoon about a talking dog."

This is a new story to me so I'm fascinated.

"How'd you get out of it?" Beth asks.

"The tweaker punched me in the gut. I puked. They both started laughing and forgot all about it. You want to know what I was before all this? I was just drifting around with Merle... doing whatever he said we were gonna be doing that day. I was nobody. Nothing. Some redneck asshole and an even bigger asshole for a brother."

It makes me feel bad to hear that but I can relate in some ways. I wasn't anyone special either. Sure I wanted to be a nurse. I volunteered at the hospital. But cleaning out bedpans wasn't exactly saving anyone's life. No one paid much attention to me. No one really knew me. I had no friends. All I had was a drunk dad who beat me and a sister who a better person than I'd ever be.

"You miss him, don't you? I miss Maggie. I miss her bossing me around. I miss my big brother Shawn. He was so annoying and overprotective. And my dad. I thought- I hoped he'd just live the rest of his life in peace, you know? I thought Maggie and Glenn would have a baby. And he'd get to be a grandpa. And we'd have birthdays and holidays and summer picnics. And he'd get really old. And it'd happen, but it'd be quiet. It'd be okay. He'd be surrounded by people he loved. That's how unbelievably stupid I am. That's how it was supposed to be. I wish I could just... change."

"You did," Daryl tells her.

"Not enough. Not like you and Del. It's like you were made for how things are now."

"I'm just used to it, things being ugly. Growing up in a place like this."

I nod. "Used to things being ugly."

"I'll be gone someday," she sighs.

"Stop." Daryl frowns.

"I will. You're gonna be the last man standing. You and Del. You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon."

"You ain't a happy drunk at all." He shakes his head.

"Yeah, I'm happy. I'm just not blind. You got to stay who you are, not who you were. Places like this, you have to put it away."

"What if you can't?"

"You have to. Or it kills you."

"We should go inside." He stands up and so do I.

"We should burn it down," she suggests.

He thinks about it for a moment then says "We're gonna need more booze."

We go inside and pour the alcohol all over the house. Then we go back out. Daryl holds a stack of money and Beth lights it then throws it in. The house quickly bursts into flames. She puts up her middle finger and motions for Daryl and I to as well so we do. We watch it burn for a few moments then walk away into the woods.

The next day, Daryl decides to teach Beth how to shoot his crossbow. 

"What are we tracking?" she questions.

"You tell me. You're the one who wanted to learn."

"Well, something came through here. The pattern is all zig-zaggy. It's a walker."

"Maybe it's a drunk," he suggests.

" I'm getting good at this. Pretty soon I won't need you at all."

"Yeah, keep on tracking."

We continue making our way through the woods until we come upon a walker kneeling in the distance eating something.

"It's got a gun," Beth whispers.

We approach slowly. It's kind of foggy out. Beth suddenly falls and I run to her, noting that her leg is caught in a bear trap. The walker also seems to notice because it starts to go toward her. She shoots the crossbow but the arrow doesn't get the walker's head. I reach for my dagger but Daryl grabs the crossbow from her and runs forward. He smashes it in the head with his crossbow then helps me to take the trap off of Beth.

"Can ya move it?" he asks.

She demonstrates by wiggling her leg. She has to put an arm around him in order to continue walking with us. After a while she asks us to stop.

"You all right?" Daryl questions.

"I just need to sit down."

He leans down so she can get on his back. "Hop on."

"Are you serious?"

I have to force myself not to start laughing. This is hilarious.

"Yeah. This is a serious piggyback. Jump up." She jumps onto him. "You're heavier than you look."

As we walk she says "Maybe there are people there."

"Yeah, if there are, I'll handle them."

"There are still good people, Daryl," she insists.

"I don't think the good ones survive."

I think that good people survive but perhaps they must be rough around the edges at least like Daryl and myself.

We make our way into a graveyard where Daryl finally lets Beth down. The stone just says Beloved Father and it obviously reminds Beth of her dad with the way she's staring at it. Daryl picks some wildflowers and puts them on it. She grabs Daryl's hand and holds it as she gazes at the stone. It's kind of a touching sight really despite how much I find Beth annoying.

We head into a funeral home near the cemetery. Daryl walks inside first to see if it's safe. I follow close behind. Beth follows slowly.

"It's so clean," she comments.

"Yeah. Someone's been tending to it."

"May still be around."

We enter a room and there's a dead guy in a coffin. It's kind of disturbing but at least he's not a walker. We head downstairs into the morgue. There is another dead body on the table.

"Let's get that ankle wrapped," Daryl suggests to Beth. "Looks like somebody ran out of dolls to dress up," he motions at the dead body.

"It's beautiful. Whoever did this cared. They wanted these people to get a funeral. They remembered these things were people before all this. They didn't let it change them in the end. Don't you think that's beautiful?"

Daryl nods a little. I roll my eyes.

Eventually we make our way upstairs to a kitchen area. We search through the cabinets for food.

"You find anything?" Beth asks.

"Nothin' here," I say, looking over to see how Daryl is doing. He opens a cabinet and finds a ton of food.

"Whoa. Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda, and pig's feet. That's a white trash brunch right there."

"It all looks good to me," Beth agrees.

"No, hold up. Ain't a speck of dust on this. That means somebody just put it here. This is someone's stash. Maybe they're still alive. We'll take some of it and we'll leave the rest, all right?"

I nod. "Sounds good."

"I knew it," Beth says.

"Knew what?" Daryl asks.

"It's like I said. There are still good people."

He sticks his hand into a jelly jar and eats some off of his fingers.

"Gross," Beth complains, making a face.

I laugh a little.

He points at the cabinet. "Hey, those pig's feet are mine."


	32. Thirty-Two

Daryl and I set up a walker alert system a string with cans that rattle outside in front of the place. Beth plays piano and sings until we walk back in.

"The place is nailed up tight," Daryl announces. "The only way in is through the front door." He begins to climb into one of the coffins.

"What are you doing?" Beth asks him.

"This is the comfiest bed I've had in years."

"Really?"

"I ain't kidding."

"Yes he is," I argue. I go over and pull him away from the coffin.

"C'mon," he complains.

"You ain't layin in a coffin."

"You don't tell me what to do."

"No, I don't," I admit. "I'm askin' ya not to."

"It don't make a difference. It ain't gonna' kill me."

"Don't..." I say again. I throw my arms around him and kiss him.

He gets embarrassed because Beth is looking but gives in to me. "Alright."

I lay down some blankets I found and it makes the floor more comfortable for us to lay down.

Beth goes on singing. I ignore it and sleep with one arm around Daryl.

When we wake up we decide to eat. Beth is limping slowly so Daryl picks her up and carries her. She laughs as he sets her down in a chair at the table.

We're about to dig in when we hear cans rattle. Daryl reaches for his crossbow and I pull out my dagger. Beth starts to get up too.

"Stay," Daryl tells her. We make our way to the front door. He opens it slowly and I stand ready to attack. But there's no need. The person at the door isn't a person, just a one-eyed dog.

"It's just a damn dog!" Daryl yells to Beth. He bends down and reaches a hand out to it. "Hi. Come here, boy."

The dog runs off. I shake my head but smile a little. We head back and find Beth standing in the hall.

"He wouldn't come in?" she asks.

"I told you to stay back," he scolds her.

"Yeah, but, Daryl, you said there was a dog!"

I roll my eyes at her.

"Maybe he'll come back around," Daryl suggests.

We sit down to eat. It's getting dark outside right now.

"I'm gonna leave a thank-you note," Beth announces. 

"Why?" Daryl and I ask her in unison.

"For when they come back. If they come back. Even if they're not coming back, I still want to say thanks."

"Maybe you don't have to leave that," Daryl says. "Maybe we stick around here for a while. They come back, we'll just make it work. They may be nuts, but maybe it'll be all right."

"So you do think there are still good people around. What changed your mind?"

Daryl frowns at her. She is still waiting for an answer when we hear the cans rattling again. Daryl sighs and we both stand up. "I'm gonna give that mutt one more chance," he says.

He opens the door but this time it's not the dog. There are a bunch of walkers out there. We have to act immediately. He tries to close the door and yells to Beth. I grab his crossbow and hand it to him. Beth runs in and we all run. The walkers come inside the house and he shoots at them as we go.

"Go!" I try to urge Beth.

"I'm not gonna leave you guys!" she protests.

"Go out!" Daryl insists. "Go up the road. We'll meet you there. Go!"

We run into the basement morgue area. We go against a wall and Daryl drags the cart with the dead body in front of him. We stab some walkers as they gather there trying to reach across the cart to get us. Then Daryl slides underneath it on the floor, pulling me with him, out away from the walkers. They start to come after us so he pushes another cart at them then we run up the stairs, killing a few more as we go. We get outside and keep running. We only pause when we stumble across Beth's bag. We both look up in time to see a strange car pulling away with Beth in it. We run after the car but it's hopeless.

We don't stop until morning. We're both exhausted and sweaty and breathing heavy. The car is nowhere in sight. We finally sit down on the ground by some train tracks.

"Daryl..." I start to say.

"No..." he shakes his head.

I kind of tackle him into the dirt and kiss him. He tenses up at first but then relaxes into it, kissing me back. He rolls us suddenly so that he's on top of me.

At some point we start to move our bodies together and I make a quiet sound of pleasure. He nips at my neck roughly.

"Fuck me," I encourage him.

He takes my pants off but my shirt stays on. His shirt stays on as well and his pants slip down to tangle around his knees. There's no time to be completely undressed in case any walkers or people happen to show up.

It's fast and rough because we're both frustrated. But it's good. We fix our pants after and lay there in the dirt together, catching our breath.

I grab his hand and tell him "We have each other. We did all we could. We did what was best. And shit happens. But we have each other, okay? That's what matters."

"I should have..."

"No," I shake my head. "We tried. Life sucks. We both know that. But we're together. We'll get through this."

He sighs but then he nods. "Okay."

We lay there together and unintentionally fall asleep. When we wake up there are a bunch of guys standing around us. "Well, lookit here," one says.

They have weapons and they look like a gang. Daryl and I jump to our feet. He hits the leader guy in the face making his nose bleed. He holds his crossbow up.

"I'm claiming the vest. I like them wings," another guy announces.

"Well I'm gonna' claim that girl right there. She's kinda' cute under all that dirt," one guy says.

I spit at him. He looks like he's about to hit me.

"Hold up," the leader guy says. "A bowman. I respect that. See, a man with a rifle, he could have been some kind of photographer or soccer coach back in the day. But a bowman's a bowman through and through. What you got there, 150-pound draw weight? I'll be donkey-licked if that don't fire at least 300 feet per second. I've been looking for a weapon like that. Of course, I'd want one with a bit more ammo and minus the oblongata stains."

Daryl and I keep our weapons raised. 

"You pull that trigger, these boys are gonna drop you both several times over. That what you want? Come on, suicide is stupid. Why hurt yourself when you can hurt other people? Name's Joe."

He holds his hand out for us to shake but neither of us take it.

"Daryl," Daryl informs them of his name.

"Delilah," I say.

Everyone lowers their weapons.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

The men keep looking at me and trying to grab me. "I swear I'll fuckin' kick you in the balls!" I threaten them.

Joe chuckles. "Everyone just behave. These are our new guests."

The group decides to spend the night in the woods. They set up barbed wire and cans to alert us if any walkers come. I lay against Daryl. His arms are around me protectively and I hold my dagger in my hands. I don't get much sleep, not trusting the guys to leave me alone the whole night.

I fall asleep for a little, waking up gasping when I hear a sudden noise. Daryl and I both jump up, only to realize that the noise is a walker tangled in the wire rattling the cans. They go to kill it. Daryl tugs on my hand and gives me a look. He's pulling me into the woods, leaving all of his stuff behind. I want to ask him why but I keep quiet, trusting him.

He explains once we are far enough away from the group. "Had to get away from them," he says. "Gonna' try to hunt."

"Okay," I nod. "I'll help."

I sneak along behind Daryl very quietly like I was taught by my father years ago on a hunting trip. If I made any noise accidentally he would have beat the shit out of me. Daryl won't do that but I don't want to mess up his hunt. It would be nice to have some fresh meat.

He uses his crossbow and shoots an arrow into a rabbit. At the same exact moment, a second arrow hits the rabbit, startling me again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl asks the other hunter. It's a guy from that group.

"Catching me some breakfast," he answers.

"That's mine!" Daryl insists and picks up the rabbit.

"My arrow's the one that hit first! Cottontail belongs to me!" the guy argues.

"Been out here since before the sun came up," Daryl says.

The rest of the group finds us then.

"You see, the rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here. Now, that rabbit you're holding is claimed, boy. Claimed whether you like it or not. So I was you, I'd hand it over. Now before you get to wishing you ain't never even got out of bed this morning."

"It ain't yours," Daryl insists.

"You know, I'll bet this bitch got you all messed up, hmm?" the hunter guy suggests to Daryl, clearly talking about me. "Am I right? Did you have a group before? Any little'uns? 'Cause they don't last too long out here."

What the fuck? He's some kind of sick pedophile or some shit.

Daryl draws his knife. Mine's already out, ready to help defend him the whole time. But Joe runs over and gets between us and the hunter guy. "Easy, fellas, easy. Let's just put our weapons down. See if we can't figure out what's really the problem here, huh? Did you claim it?"

"Hell, yeah," the hunter guy answers. 

"Well, there you go. That critter belongs to Len. Looks like you may be wanting an explanation. See, going it alone, that ain't an option nowadays. Still, it is survival of the fittest. That's a paradox right there. So I laid out some rules of the road to keep things from going Darwin every couple hours. Keep our merry band together and stress-free. All you got to do is claim. That's how you mark your territory, your prey, your bed at night. One word, claimed."

Fucking freaks...

"I ain't claiming nothin'," Daryl says.

"We're gonna teach him, right?" Len asks. "The rules say we got to teach him."

Joe shakes his head. "Now It wouldn't be fair to punish them for violating a rule they never even knew existed."

"There ain't no rules no more," Daryl tells them.

"Oh, there are. You know that. That's why I didn't kill you for the crossbow." He takes the rabbit from Daryl who looks offended. "Easy there, partner." He cuts the rabbit in half abruptly on a tree, handing one half to Daryl and one half to Len. " Claimed. That's all you got to say." Daryl is less than enthused to receive the ass end of the rabbit. "Hey, ass end is still an end."

Joe and his group are travelers so we follow them. We walk along the train tracks. I stay as close to Daryl as possible. I listen to him talk to Joe as we walk. 

"So what's the plan, Daryl?" Joe questions him.

"How so?"

"You're with us now, but you ain't soon?"

Daryl nods. "Yep."

"So what's the plan?"

He shrugs. "Just uh...lookin' for the right place is all."

"Oh, we ain't good enough for you, huh?"

"Some of ya ain't exactly friendly."

"You ain't so friendly yourself. You know you need a group out here."

"Maybe I don't."

"No, you do," Joe insists. "You should be with us. People don't got to be friendly. We don't have to be nice. We don't have to be brothers in arms. We just got to follow the rules. You claim. If you steal, you keel. I know that sounds a little funny, but nobody laughs when something goes missing. And you don't lie. 'Cause that's a slippery slope indeed."

"What happens if you break 'em?"

"Oh, you catch a beatin'. The severity of which depends upon the offense and the general attitude of the day. But that don't happen much 'cause when men like us follow rules and cooperate a little bit, well, the world becomes ours." The group comes to a stop at an abandoned building. "Right there. It's our abode for the evening."

"Hey," Daryl says to him. "There ain't no us."

"You leaving right now? No? Then it sure seems like there's an us. You a cat person, Daryl? I am. Loved 'em since I was three years old. Vicious creatures. Anyway, I'll tell you, and this is true, ain't nothing sadder than an outdoor cat that thinks he's an indoor cat."

Asshole...

We all go into the building, entering into a big garage full of cars.

I overhear Joe and some of his men talking.

"They ain't here. Nobody's been here for a while. Whoever was, they got all the gas."

"That don't matter," Joe tells them. "We're getting closer. I can feel it."

Men go around shouting claimed at everything. They look like idiots. They claim supplies and cars to sleep in. Daryl throws his stuff on the floor and lays down to sleep, ignoring the people and their claims. He uses his bag as a pillow. His bag is actually a black trash bag but it works well enough. He pats his bag, signaling for me to join. I lay down, resting my head on his shoulder. His arms go around my waist, keeping me close in case anyone tries to mess with me. My backpack stays securely on my back so that they stay away from my belongings too.

We lay there for a while together. He announces that he has to piss so I go with him. I don't want to be alone around these strange men. I don't trust any of them. When we come back and lay down we begin to fall asleep when suddenly Len is approaching us shouting. We stand up together to face him. "You've got to be kidding me. Give it here," Len says to us.

"You step back," Daryl warns.

"My half was in the bag. Now it's gone. Now ain't nobody around here interested in no half a damn cottontail except you. Ain't that right?"

What the fuck is this shit?

Daryl frowns at him. "You're the only one still thinkin' about that crap."

"Empty your bag," he demands, moving toward us.

"I said step back!" Daryl yells.

Joe steps in and takes Daryl's bag from him. "Did you take his rabbit, Daryl? Just tell me the truth."

"I didn't take nothing."

"What do we got here? Come on." He shakes the bag and the rabbit head falls out. "Well, look at that."

"Fuckers!" I say. This is obviously a trap. Daryl was with me the whole time. Besides, he's better than that. A better man than any of these assholes will ever be obviously.

"You put that there, didn't you?" Daryl demands. "When we went out to piss."

"You lied. You stole," Len insists. "We gonna teach these fools or what, Joe?"

"Whoa, whoa." Joe steps between us and Len. "Now, Daryl says he didn't take your half of the rabbit. So we got a little conundrum here. Either he's lying, which is an actionable offense, or... or you did plant it on him like some pussy, punk-ass, cheating, coward cop, did you? 'Cause while that wouldn't be specifically breaking the rules, it'd be disappointing."

"It would," Len agrees. "I didn't."

"Good. Well..." He punches Len in the face suddenly, surprising everyone. "...teach him a lesson, gents. He's a lying sack of shit. I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way." The group begins to beat up Len. Joe turns to us. "I saw him do it."

"Why didn't ya try to stop him?" Daryl asks.

"He wanted to play that out. I let him. You told the truth. He lied. You understand the rules. He doesn't." He tosses Daryl the rabbit halves. "Looks like you get the head, too. "

Daryl and I picks up his things and put them back in his bag.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

I wake up when Daryl does. He moves to sit up and since I'm laying on top of him it wakes me as well. I open my eyes and notice everyone is waking up too and getting ready to leave.

On our way out, Daryl and I can't help but notice Len's dead body on the ground. Daryl and I exchange a look then move on. I don't think that there's anything else we really can do.

We walk through the woods and out into a field. Joe hands Daryl a flash. "White Lightning," he says. "Easiest thing to make with the least amount of supplies. I'd start slow if I was you. Your stomach's probably emptier than you think."

Daryl guzzles some of the alcohol then hands it to me. I drink some then pass it back to Joe.

"I ain't been lit at dawn since before everything fell apart," Daryl says.

"Fell apart. I never looked at it like that," Joe tells us. "Seems to me like things are finally starting to fall together. At least for guys like us. Living like this, surviving. We've been doing this from the start, right?"

What a jackass...

We get closer to a sign for a place called Terminus. Daryl points at it and asks "You seen this before?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll tell you what it is. It's a lie. Ain't no sanctuary for all. Ain't gonna welcome guys like you and me or girls like her with open arms."

"Asshole," I say.

Joe chuckles. "See what I mean?"

I roll my eyes and walk with everyone along the train tracks.

"So is that where we're headed?" Daryl asks.

"So now you're asking?"

"That's right."

"We were in a house minding our own business and this walking piece of fecal matter was hiding in the home. Strangled our colleague Lou and left him to turn. Lou came at all of us. He lit out. We tracked him to these tracks, one of those signs, and thus we've got a destination in mind."

"You see his face?" Daryl questions.

"Only Tony. That's enough for a reckoning."

I'm not sure what to think of all of this but I can say I still don't like these guys. I don't think that they're good guys. As soon as Daryl and I can break free of them I plan to.  
\---

By nightfall we seem to have tracked this strangler guy down. We walk into his little camp site. There's a fire burning and he has a couple friends. We're all holding our weapons out, ready to fight.

"You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up," Joe shouts. "Today is a day of reckoning, sir. Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe. shit, and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve." He laughs. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh? Ten Mississippi. Nine Mississippi. Eight Mississippi."

As Daryl and I get closer, the people come into full view. My eyes widen. It can't be... what are the chances...

It's Rick, Michonne, and Carl.

"Joe!" Daryl yells. "Hold up!"

"You're stopping me on eight, Daryl."

"Just hold up," he insists.

I think that we are both starting to panic a little. We can't let them kill Rick. How is this even happening?

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about," one of the men in Joe's group says.

"The thing about nowadays is we got nothing but time. Say your piece, Daryl," Joe says.

"These people, you're gonna let 'em go," Daryl tries. "These are good people."

"Now, I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all 'cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom."

"You want blood, I get it. Take it from me, man." He drops his cross bow and puts his hands out like surrender. "Come on."

No, no, no! This is not fucking happening! I take a step forward, ready to get between them and Daryl.

"This man killed our friend," Joe says. "You say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie. It's a lie!"

Two guys start to beat up Daryl. I try to run to him but another grabs onto me. I struggle to wrestle free from him.

"Teach him, fellas!" I hear Joe encouraging. "Teach him all the way."

Carl is being dragged from the car by another guy and guys are holding Rick with a gun to him. They have a knife to Carl and a gun to Michonne.

"Let me go!" I yell and thrash around. Another guy comes over to help hold me. Not only are they hurting Daryl, they are hurting Carl. I have to do something.

"Listen, it was me," Rick says. "It was just me."

"See, now that's right. That's not some damn lie," Joe says. "Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men. First, we're gonna beat Daryl to death. Then we'll have the girls. Then the boy. Then I'm gonna shoot you and then we'll be square." He laughs.

He is completely insane. More insane than I even thought before.

"Let him go," Rick says.

The guy that has Carl is getting him on the ground about to rape him.

Rick pushes Joe backwards suddenly. The gun goes off close to him but doesn't hit him. He and Joe start fighting.

"Oh, it's gonna be so much worse now!" Joe threatens. "What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

Rick bites him in the throat and rips his throat open so blood sprays out. I can barely believe my eyes. This is actually happening... 

Everyone is staring, shocked. It gives me a chance to grab my gun. I shoot the guys that were holding me and Michonne is following suit. I turn the guns on the guys who are trying to grab Daryl again. I shoot them as well.

The one with Carl holds him up in front of him and keeps a knife to his throat.

"Let the boy go!" Michonne shouts, pointing her gun at him.

"He's mine," Rick says. He walks over and the guy is clearly afraid. His eyes widen and he drops the knife. Rick grabs him and stabs him repeatedly. Michonne holds Carl as we all watch.

Once he's dead Rick goes to check on Carl. I run to Daryl, crashing into him and almost knocking him down. I throw my arms around him and hold him tightly and his arms go around my waist.

He was so willing to sacrifice himself and then those guys...they were going to kill him. They said they were going to beat him to death. 

Tears come to my eyes and I bury my face against Daryl's shoulder. Loving Daryl as much as I do makes me both strong and vulnerable at the same time. I don't know what I'd do if I lost him. I don't know how I'd be able to go on without him at my side. He has become my everything. He is the single most important thing to me in the whole world. I love him more than life itself. I didn't know how much I could love and be loved in this way until now. I never would have guessed I'd end up here but I wouldn't trade it. It's worth it. I can't imagine life without him.

"Are you okay? They hurt you..."

"I'll be fine," he tells me. "What about you?"

"I'm okay."

And then we continue clinging to each other desperately, never wanting to let go.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

Morning comes and we're still at the little camp site. Carl is asleep. Michonne is with him. Rick is sitting on the ground by the car. I'm sitting near him, leaning back against the car and dozing. I see Daryl walk over and wets a rag with water from a water bottle then hand the rag to Rick.

"We should save it to drink," Rick says.

"You can't see yourself, he can," Daryl says, speaking of Carl. He sits down between Rick and I. I lean against him now instead of the car. His lip is split and he has a lot of scrapes and bruises, a black eye. But he's alive and he's going to be okay. I'm grateful for that. Rick is all bloody and beat up even worse. "I didn't know what they were."

"How'd you wind up with them?" Rick questions.

"We were with Beth. We got out all together. We were with her for a while."

"Is she dead?"

"She's just gone. After that, that's when they found me and Del. I mean, I knew they were bad, but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid, but it was something. It was enough."

"And you two were alone."

"They said they were looking for some guy," Daryl explains. "Last night they said they spotted him. Del and me were hanging back. We were gonna leave. But we stayed. That's when I saw it was you three. Right when you saw me. I didn't know what they could do."

"I should've known," I mumble sleepily.

"It's not on you two. You guys being back with us here, now, that's everything. You're my brother, Daryl. And Del's like my sister. We're a family."

It's nice to hear that. Rick's like my family too.

"Hey, what you did last night... anybody would have done that," Daryl tries to tell him.

"No, not that," Rick admits.

"Something happened. That ain't you."

"Daryl, you saw what I did to Tyreese. It ain't all of it, but that's me. That's why I'm here now. That's why Carl is. I want to keep him safe. That's all that matters."

I can understand that. What Daryl said to Joe, that Rick is a good person, it's true. It wasn't a lie.

I fall asleep against Daryl. A little while later I am being awoken by him and told it's time to go.

Rick and Michonne lead the way. Carl is behind them. Then Daryl and I are behind Carl. We follow the train tracks, pausing when we see a sign for Terminus.

"We're getting close," Daryl says. "Be there before sundown."

"Now we head through the woods," Rick says. "We don't know who they are."

"All right."

We leave the tracks and head into the woods, moving along carefully and quietly. Soon enough we come upon a fence and look inside. There's a big building with a giant letters reading Terminus.

"We all spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready," Rick instructs. "We all stay close." He turns to Carl and asks "You want to stick with me?"

"It's all right," Carl replies and walks away with Michonne.

I watch with Daryl as Rick buries some weapons in the dirt. It's "just in case" as he tells us. I'll admit that I'm a little nervous about going into this place and seeing what kind of people they are in there. So far, we haven't had a lot of good experiences with people outside our group.

Rick jumps the fence with his gun out. Michonne has her sword. Daryl has his crossbow. Carl and I both have our weapons out as well. We all follow Rick over the fence. We cross the train tracks and go into a building that seems to be some type of factory with workers in it.

There's a woman sitting a desk, broadcasting over a radio."Terminus-those who arrive survive. Follow the tracks to the point where all lines intersect. There are maps at the crossings to help guide you with your journey. Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive. Terminus, sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who s-"

Rick cuts her off as we walk over. "Hello."

The workers all turn to stare at us. One guy says "Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch. You here to rob us?"

"No. We wanted to see you before you saw us."

"Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet. Ahem. Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit."

"We have. Rick. That's Carl, Daryl, Delilah, Michonne," Rick introduces us.

"You're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way. We came here for sanctuary. That what you're here for?"

"Yes."

"Good. You found it. Hey, Alex." Another guy walks over. "This isn't as pretty as the front. We got nothing to hide, but welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer. Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you."

Everyone looks at Rick and he puts his weapons down. The rest of us follow though I can't say I'm happy about it.

"I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, I do," Rick agrees.

"I'd hate to see the other guy," Gareth points at Rick's wounds.

"You would."

"They deserve it?"

"Yes."

They start patting us down. I flinch and squirm in their grasp. "Cut that out," I snap at them.

They let go of me once they are sure I have no weapons on me.

"Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people, but we aren't stupid either," Gareth informs us. "And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid. As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions. Okay."

Our weapons are handed back and I'm grateful for that. I feel vulnerable without them. They are some of my most prized possessions. And I hate feeling vulnerable. I hate that feeling so much.

"Follow me," Alex says.

We all start walking with him.

"So how long's this place been here?" Daryl questions.

"Since almost the start. When all the camps got overrun, people started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path. Some folks were heading to the coast, others out west or up north, but they all wound up here."

We walk outside and a lady walks over saying "Hi. Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here."

"Hey, Mary, would you fix each of these new folks a plate for me?" Alex asks.

"Why do you do it?" Michonne questions. "Why do you let people in?"

"The more people become a part of us, we get stronger. That's why we put up the signs, invite people in. It's how we survive."

Mary is cooking food on a grill. Alex starts to hand a plate to Carl but Rick knocks the plate out of the guy's hand, taking a knife from Alex's pocket and holding a gun to his head. We all react instantly, pulling our weapons, ready to defend Rick and ourselves from whatever is going on now.

"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick demands. He must recognize the watch.

"You want answers? You want anything else? You get 'em when you put down the gun."

"I see your man on the roof with a sniper rifle. How good's his aim? Where'd you get the watch?" He turns to the sniper on the roof and yells "Don't do anything! I have this! You just put it down. You put it down!" The sniper lowers the gun so Rick talks to Alex again. "You want to listen to me. There's a lot of us. Where did you get the watch?"

"I got it off of a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it."

"What about the riot gear? The poncho?"

There's a guy wearing riot gear from our prison most likely and another guy in a poncho. I definitely recognize the poncho. It's Daryl's poncho. How did they get our stuff? I don't like this. I don't like it all.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop," Gareth tells us. "Found the poncho on a clothesline."

"Gareth, we can wait," Alex says.

"Shut up, Alex."

"You talk to me," Rick insists.

"What's there left to say?" Gareth asks. "You don't trust us anymore."

"Gareth," Alex tries.

"Shut up."

"Gareth, please."

"It's okay. It's okay. Rick, what do you want?"

"Where are our people?" Rick demands.

"You didn't answer the question."

Rick tosses Alex to the ground because people are closing in with guns. Shots are fired. Rick and us start to run. People are shooting from rooftops and everywhere. This got bad really fast. We go in through a building and out the door into an alley way and keep running as shots are still being fired at us. We pass by a fenced in area full of skeletons. That's not suspicious at all... It gets even more suspicious when we run into another building into a room full of candles like for alters or rituals.

"What the hell is this place?" Daryl asks.

"These people, I don't think they're trying to kill us," Michonne says.

The room has writing painted on the wall saying Never again. Never Trust. We first, Always.

"No, they were aiming at our feet," Rick agrees.

We run out a door outside again and there are people all along the fence by the train tracks with guns. 

"Drop your weapons!" Gareth shouts. " Now! Ringleader, go to your left. The train car, go." There is a big red train car on the tracks with the letter A on it. "You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies and you end up in there anyway. Now the archer. Now the samurai. And the bitch."

Why am I the bitch?

Daryl, Rick, and Michonne and I go to the train car.

"Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samurai, bitch, in that order."

"My son!" Rick protests. Carl is over by himself still.

"Go, kid."

Carl walks over slowly.

"Ringleader, open the door and go in."

"I'll go in with him," Rick points at Carl.

"Don't make us kill him now."

We all go inside the train car and Carl follows. Rick puts his arm around Carl. They close the door. It's really dark in here. I can barely see anything. I knew we shouldn't have come here. There's a good reason that we don't trust anyone. 

People come forward inside the train car. It's Glenn, Maggie, Bob, and Sasha. There are also two girls and two guys with them that we don't know.

"Rick?" Glenn asks.

"You're here," Rick replies.

"They're our friend," Maggie introduces the other people. "Rosita, Eugene, Tara, and Abraham. They helped save us."

"Yeah. Now they're friends of ours," Daryl says, welcoming them.

"For however long that'll be," Abraham says.

"No. They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out," Rick tells us.

"Find out what?"

"They're screwing with the wrong people."


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

We all are gathered in the train car, making weapons out of whatever random objects that we can get our hands on.

"All right, got four of them pricks coming our way," Daryl announces.

"Y'all know what to do," Rick tells us. "Go for their eyes first. Then their throats."

We all get ready to fight. We are prepared for it. But what we aren't prepared for is a smoke bomb. "Move!" Abraham shouts, but it's too late. There's nowhere to go. We are trapped rats on a sinking ship.  
\---

I wake up with my hands tied behind my back and a gags in my mouth. I'm in a room somewhere inside one of the buildings in Terminus. Terminus people have knives and aprons on and they are cutting up a dead body on a table nearby, much to my horror. These are some sick fuckers. Somehow it manages to get even worse.

The Terminus guys come over and knock someone out with a baseball bat then slit his throat. I don't recognize him so I assume he must be some other poor fellow who came here for Sanctuary. All who arrive survive, yeah right. More like all who arrive will be eaten alive.

I pull at my restrains but it's no use. I turn my head to try to see who's with me. I can see Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Abraham, and Bob all tied up like me.

The Terminus guys are talking to each other. The one who introduced himself as Gareth is asking them their shot counts and he has a notebook he is writing them down in. I can see a gun in his belt which is never good news.

Bob screams at them until they take his gag off. "Don't do this!" he begs. "We can fix this."

"No, you can't," Gareth tells him.

"You don't have to do this," Bob insists. "We told you there's a way out of all this. You just have to take a chance. We have a man who knows how to stop it. He has a cure. We just have to get him to Washington. You don't have to do this, man. We can put the world back to how it was."

"Can't go back, Bob. "

"We can! You don't have to do this!"

Gareth puts Bob's gag back on so that he can't argue with them anymore. I can see that arguing with them is of no use anyway.

Gareth turns his attention to Rick now. "We saw you go into the woods with a bag and come out without it. Had to pull my spotters back before we could go look for it. What was in it? You hid it, right? In case things went bad? Smart. Still, we'll find it. But it's too dangerous to go out there right now. What was in it? I'm curious. And it was a big bag. You really gonna let me do this? "

"Well, let me take you out there," Rick says. "I'll show you."

"Not gonna happen. This might." 

He holds a knife to Bob's neck and my eyes widen. Why are they doing this to us? What the hell is wrong with these people? Do they get off on this or what?

"There's guns in it," Rick informs them. "AK-47. .44 Magnum. Automatic weapons. Nightscope. There's a compound bow and a machete with a red handle. That's what I'm gonna use to kill you."

Gareth chuckles at Rick's threat. A gunshot echoes outside, alarming him. He tries to radio. "Hey, Chuck?" Another gunshot rings out.

A voice comes across the radio. "Hey, what the hell was that? Do you copy?"

Gareth starts to walk out but pauses to give orders to one of his men. "You stay here." The guy tries to argue. "Gareth, these guys aren't going anywhere."

But Gareth insists. "Stay here until I know what's happening."

"So we just sit here?"

"Got a job to do." 

The guys start to talk amongst themselves. "You smell the smoke? You hear the shots? He could be dead. The hell we doing here? The whole place could be going up."

"You went on one roundup and you blew protocol. We don't deal with security. That ain't our job. This is. Hey, look at me." 

As the two men look at each other, Rick suddenly gets free and stabs one of them before they can ever see it coming. Then he goes and attacks the guy with the radio, stabs him too. He runs over and starts to untie us all. It's a little bit disturbing but I can't say that they didn't deserve it. What's more disturbing is these people trying to kill and eat us.

"If they got problems, we got a chance," Rick tells us.

There's the sound of an explosion going off outside that makes me flinch, startled. What the fuck is happening here?

"It sounded like a bomb," Glenn says.

"Sounds like a damn war," Daryl agrees.

"What the hell are these people?" Bob asks.

"They ain't people," Daryl answers.

Bob goes over to a body of one of the guys Rick stabbed but Rick stops him. "Don't. Let him turn."

We walk into a room that has hunks of meat hanging from the ceiling and butcher tools and tables.

"Cross any of these people, you kill them," Rick instructs. "Don't hesitate. They won't."

We pick up knives and stuff off of tables for weapons. I' pissed that mine have been taken who knows where...

"If we run, we can get by them," Rick suggests. "They're distracted."

Glenn gazes out at one of the other train cars. "We got to let those people out. That's still who we are. It's got to be."

We go open the closest train car and a guy runs out looking dirty with long hair and he seems crazy shouting "We're the same!" 

Before I can think of how to react to him, a walker comes and gets him. Everything is happening so fast. Glenn starts bashing the walker with a metal bat until Rick drags him along. We go hide behind a car and Daryl has to stabs a walker in the head so that it doesn't get us while we are hiding or get us caught by anyone. The Terminus people are all running around frantically with guns. I'm still not exactly sure what's going on. 

Rick sneaks up on one of the men and grabs his gun while we wait behind the car. Once Rick gets the gun then we run out to him.

"We got to double back," Rick tells us.

We go get our people free and get out, only taking down whoever or whatever is standing in our way. We throw a blanket over the barbed wire fence and help each other up over it.

We stop in the woods when Rick says "Right here." Then he starts digging.

"The hell are we still around here for?" Abraham demands.

"Guns, some supplies," Rick explains. "Go along the fences. Use the rifles. Take out the rest of 'em. They don't get to live. "

What...?

"Rick, we got out. It's over," Glenn says. 

"It's not over till they're all dead."

"The hell it isn't," Rosita argues. "That place is on fire. Full of walkers."

I look at Daryl but I can't be sure what he's thinking. I can say that I'm thinking it's probably not a good idea to go back. I'd rather try to move on and get as far away from those people as possible.

I'm not dicking around with this crap," Abraham says. "We just made it out."

"The fences are down," Maggie says. "They'll run or die."

Suddenly, it's like seeing a ghost. Carol is walking over to us. Daryl runs to her and hugs her tightly.

I stand there and look at them awkwardly. I'm not nearly as excited to see her. Not after what Rick told me she has done. I wish I never saw her again.

"Did you do that?" Rick asks Carol, meaning the explosion that helped us get free.

"You have to come with me," she says.

She hands us our weapons back. I nod as I take mine but don't say anything to her. We follow her to a cabin where Tyreese is standing with baby Judith in his arms. Rick and Carl run over, taking her and hugging her happily. Sasha runs to hug her brother Tyreese as well.

A few moments later, Rick is gazing off into the distance at the smoke rising into the air from Terminus. "I don't know if the fire is still burning," he says.

"It is," Carol assures him.

"Yeah, we need to go."

"Yeah," Daryl agrees. "But where?"

"Somewhere far away from there."

I couldn't agree more.

We walk along the train tracks and when we see a sign for Terminus, Rick crosses it out with some dirt. There is no sanctuary there. I'm beginning to wonder if we can really find sanctuary anywhere.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven

We continue on through the woods until nighttime when we take a break. I can hear Daryl and Carol talking. "I don't want to talk about it," she is saying. "I can't. I just need to forget it."

"All right," Daryl lets the subject drop.

Daryl might forgive her but I certainly don't. I don't think there's an excuse for killing Karen and David like she did.

There's the sudden sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping. I jump up immediately but Daryl shakes his head. "It's nothing."  
When daylight comes we continue on through the woods. Daryl kills a squirrel and I roll my eyes at him. He's always killing squirrels which I admit is kind of talented but also pretty weird.

Rick talks to Daryl and I quietly as we walk. "No tracks. No nothing. So whatever you heard last night..."

"If someone was watching us, there would have been something," Daryl says.

There's another sudden noise now but this time it's not a rustling in the trees. This time it's screaming. "Let's go!" Carl says and takes off running so we all have no choice but to follow him.

There's a man trapped on top of a boulder. There are walkers trying to reach up and grab him. I can't help but notice that he's dressed like a priest.

"Help! Help, anybody!" he is yelling.

We all get to work killing the walkers. "Come on down," Rick encourages the guy once we're clear. "You okay?"

He pukes on the ground and we all make faces. "Sorry," he apologizes. "Yes. Thank you. I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you? " Rick questions.

"Do I look like I would have any weapons?"

"We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like," Abraham cuts in.

What the hell are short and curlies? I keep my eyes on this stranger and grip my gun just in case he turns out to be dangerous.

"I have no weapons of any kind," Gabriel insists. "The word of God is the only protection I need."

"Sure didn't look like it," Daryl comments.

" I called for help. Help came," Gabriel argues. "Do you have any food? Whatever I had left, it just hit the ground."

Carl is quick to offer some food to him. "We've got some pecans."

Gabriel accepts the pecans. "Thank you." He looks at Judith and smiles. "That's a beautiful child. Do you have a camp?"

"No," Rick answers. "Do you?"

" I have a church."

"Hold your hands above your head." Rick pats him down. "How many walkers have you killed?"

"Not any, actually."

"How many people have you killed? "

"None."

"Why?"

"Because the Lord abhors violence. "

"What have you done? We've all done something."

"I'm a sinner. I sin almost every day. But those sins, I confess them to God, not strangers."

"You said you had a church?" Michonne asks.

He nods and leads us through the woods towards his church. As we are walking Rick continues to talk to him. "Hey, earlier, were you watching us?"

"I keep to myself. Nowadays, people are just as dangerous as the dead, don't you think?"

Rick shakes his head. "No, people are worse."

"Well, I wasn't watching you. I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since it all started. That was the furthest I've gone before today. Or maybe I'm lying. Maybe I'm lying about everything and there's no church ahead at all. Maybe I'm leading you into a trap so I can steal all your squirrels."

Rick just glares at him.

"Members of my flock had often told me that my sense of humor leaves much to be desired."

"Yeah," Daryl agrees. "It does."

We arrive at the church finally. It's a typical looking church, painted white.

"Hold up," Rick says. "Can we take a look around first? We just want to hold on to our squirrels."

We all enter the church with weapons out and look around. Then we step back outside together.

"I spent months here without stepping out the front door," Gabriel says. "If you found someone inside, well, it would have been surprising."

"We found a short bus out back," Abraham announces. " It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in less than a day or two. Father here says he doesn't want it. Looks like we found ourselves some transport. You understand what's at stake here, right?"

"Yes, I do," Rick says.

"We need supplies no matter what we do next," Michonne says.

"That's right," Rick agrees. "Water, food, ammunition."

"Short bus ain't going nowhere," Daryl says. "Bring you back some baked beans."

We head inside the church once again.

"How'd you survive here for so long?" Rick questions Gabriel. "Where did your supplies come from?"

'Luck. Our annual canned food drive. Things fell apart right after we finished it. It was just me. The food lasted a long time. And then I started scavenging. I've cleaned out every place nearby. Except for one."

"What kept you from it?"

"It's overrun."

"How many?"

"A dozen or so. Maybe more."

"We can handle a dozen."

"Bob and I will go with you," Sasha offers. "Tyreese should stay here, help keep Judith safe."

"That'll be okay?" Rick asks Tyreese.

He nods. "Sure. You ever need me to watch her, need anything for her, I'm right here."

"I'm grateful for it. And everything else."

"I'll draw you a map," Gabriel suggests.

"You don't need to," Rick tells him. "You're coming with us."

" I'm not gonna be of any help. You saw me. I'm no good around those things."

"You're coming with us."


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight

Carol, Daryl, and I walk down the road together carrying water jugs. I walk behind Daryl and Carol, listening to them talk.

"Hey, I get it," Daryl says to her. "You don't want to talk about it. You okay?"

"Gotta be," she replies.

Dumb bitch...

"We get to start over. All of us with each other. You saved us all by yourself."

"We got lucky. We all should be dead," Carol argues.

Before anyone can say anything else, we pause. There's an abandoned car sitting by the side of the road.

"I'll check it," she suggests and goes over to it.

"Hey, we ain't dead," Daryl tells her. "And whatever happened, happened. Let's start over."

"I want to," she admits.

"Well, you can."

"No, you can't," I say. I am getting so tired of her and Daryl always defending her. I'm about to totally flip out.

"Del..." Daryl frowns at me.

"We should leave this here," Carol changes the subject, gesturing at the car. "For backup in case things go south at the church."

It's starting to get dark out now and walkers are approaching. Carol lures one closer to herself before finally killing it. What the fuck...? Has she lost her goddamn mind?

"What are you doin?" Daryl demands.

She shrugs. "I don't know."

Crazy ass bitch...

A car speeds by suddenly. I'm not paying attention to it but apparently Daryl is. He suddenly runs and gets into the abandoned car on the side of the road. 

"What are you doing?" Carol shouts.

I run after Daryl and climb into the car. I don't know what he's doing either but I trust him and I'll follow him wherever it is he has to go.

"They got Beth!" he yells. "Come on, get in!"

As soon as Carol gets into the backseat, we speed off after the car. As we drive, Carol can't seem to shut up.

"So it was just you two and Beth after?" she asks.

"Yeah," Daryl answers.

"You save her?"

"She's tough. She saved herself. We were out there for a while. We got cornered, she got out in front of me and Del and... I don't know, she was gone. I came out and a car's pulling out with a white cross on the window."

"Just like that one we're following now?"

"Yep. We're gonna' do what we gotta do to get her back." 

"They're heading north, I-85."

The car pulls to a stop in front of some buildings so we stop close behind.

"What the hell's he waiting for?" Daryl asks quietly, watching them through the window. "There's two of 'em. Is that a cop?"

There are two people that get out of the car but it's hard to see exactly who they are or what they are doing in the darkness.

"They might've seen us," Carol worries.

The guys get back in the car and drive off. Daryl tries to start our car to follow them but it won't start.

"Shit!" Daryl exclaims. "Tank's tapped. They must be holed up in the city somewhere. We gotta move, find someplace to hole up till sunlight."

"I know a place just a couple of blocks from here," Carol suggests. "We can make it."

We get out of the car and start running, killing walkers as we go. We follow Carol inside a building.

"You used to work here or something?" Daryl asks her.

"Something," she shrugs it off.

"What's this place?"

"It's temporary housing."

We enter a bedroom that contains a bunk bed.

"You came here?"

"We didn't stay," she says. "I'll take the top bunk. You two should sleep. I'll take first watch."

"This is locked up pretty tight."

"I know. I'll keep first watch," she insists. "I don't mind."

"Suit yourself."

Daryl and I sit down on the bottom bunk together.

"You said something about getting to start over...." she says to him.

He nods. "Yeah."

"Did you start over? You and Del too?"

"I'm tryin'," Daryl tells her.

"Me too," I agree.

"Why don't you say what's really on your mind?" Daryl asks her.

"I don't think we get to save people anymore," she admits.

"Then why are you here?"

She shrugs. "I'm tryin'."

"Maybe try a little harder," I suggest.

A distant banging sound interrupts our conversation before anything more can be said. 

We all get up and go to investigate with weapons drawn. Carol has a flashlight out as well. We come to a room where the door is shut but we can see the outline of walkers behind it. One is an adult and the other is clearly a child.

"You don't have to," Daryl tells Carol.

So we all walk away and leave it alone...for now. 

Once Carol is asleep, Daryl tells me "Let's go."

I go with him and we take care of the walkers. We wrap them up in sheets after and carry them outside to burn their bodies. It's the best we can offer as far as burials go at the moment. 

Carol wakes up in the morning and sees us outside. She realizes what we're doing and tells us "Thank you."

Then we go inside and pack up our stuff.

"That car was headed downtown," Daryl says. "I say we get up in one of the tall ones, get ourselves a view, see what we see."

"We can stay close to the buildings and keep quiet, but sooner or later, we're gonna be drawing them," Carol says.

Daryl leads, I stick close behind, and Carol follows after me. We make our way through the streets, hiding behind buildings. We stop for a moment, seeing that there a bunch of walkers gathered on the other side of the building we're at.

"All right, we can get up there," Daryl says. "There's a bridge."

He lights a notebook on fire and throws it to distract the zombies so that we can sneak by. We run into a parking garage and kill a few of the walkers as we go. We get inside the building and find that some people had set up camp inside the building. There is a tent and a bunch of zombies trapped in sleeping bags. The zombies can't get out of the sleeping bags because they don't know how to work the zippers. It's a disturbing sight.

Daryl goes and stabs them in the heads and shoots one with an arrow. We can still see some trapped inside the two tents here.

"Some days, I don't know what the hell to think," Daryl says, shaking his head.

He collects his arrow and we pass by the tent zombies and get inside a room. We have to squeeze through the middle of two doors because there are locked chains on them and only open a little as much as the chains allow.

"Good thing we skipped breakfast," Daryl jokes as he just barely squeezes through.

I can't help but chuckle despite the circumstances.

Daryl goes first, opening another set of doors to be sure it's safe. I follow close behind then Carol. We all gaze out the window together at the city.

"You still haven't asked me what happened," Carol says. "After I met up with Tyreese, the girls..."

"Yeah, I know what happened," Daryl says. "They ain't here."

"It was worse than that."

"What was it?" I ask. "What did you do?"

"The reason I said we get to start over... is because we gotta," Daryl interrupts. "The way it was..."

He suddenly leans in closer to the window.

"What is it?" I ask him.

He grabs a rifle and looks through the scope. He points and tells us "Right there."

We each take turns looking out the window through the scope. There's a white van on the bridge in the distance.

"It's been there a while," Carol says.

"Definitely one of 'em," Daryl agrees. He looks at a painting on the wall which is essentially just a big brown smudge. "I bet this cost some rich prick a lot of money. Looks like a dog sat in paint, wiped its ass all over the place."

I start to laugh again. 

"I kinda like it," Carol says.

Daryl even laughs a little now. "Stop. "

"I'm serious. You don't know me."

"Yep, you keep tellin' yourself that."

I roll my eyes and start to head back through the doors into the tent area. Carol and Daryl follow. I stop abruptly because there's something in here now that wasn't before. There's a young man with a gun pointed at us.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Hands up, all of you!" the young man shouts. "Lay down your crossbow."

Daryl refuses. "You got some sack on you."

"Look, nobody has to get hurt. I just need weapons, that's it. So, please, lay down your crossbow."

Daryl lays the crossbow down.

"Back up. Sorry about this." The young man takes the crossbow then rips open the tent so some walkers come out. "You look tough. You'll be all right." He runs off abruptly.

Daryl and I stab some of the walkers and Carol shoots them. She shoots at the stranger but he's gone. We run after the him but find the door locked.

Carol and Daryl suddenly start arguing about how to deal with the kid. Carol apparently thinks that he should die. "He was stealing our weapons!" she insists.

"He's a damn kid," Daryl argues. 

"Without weapons we could die. Beth could die."

"We'll find more weapons."

"I don't want you to die. I don't want Beth to die. I don't want anybody at the church to die, but I can't stand around and watch it happen either. I can't. That's why I left. I just had to be somewhere else."

"Well, you ain't somewhere else; you're right here. Tryin'." He sounds angry now. Carol is such a stupid bitch. I don't know why he tries with her....

She picks up one of Daryl's bags and a book falls out. It's titled Treating survivors of childhood abuse. He picks it up as I get the door open finally.

I could fucking punch that bitch right now but I have better things to do.

We walk outside on the bridge to the van. The van is partially hanging over the side of the bridge.

"All right, let's get this done," Daryl says and opens the back doors. He starts to climb inside.

"It's not stable," Carol tells him. "I'm lighter."

Daryl climbs inside anyway. Then Carol climbs in too and start to help him search the van.

"Fucking idiots," I mutter.

There are walkers coming towards us now.

"We have to go," Carol says.

"GMH, what's that?" Daryl asks, pointing at something inside the van. "A hospital?"

"I don't know. Grady Memorial, maybe?"

There are white crosses on the van like the car that took Beth.

"Grady, the white crosses-- it might be where they're holing up."

We start to try to fight off the walkers but there are too many. Daryl pulls me inside the van with Carol and shuts the doors.

"All right, buckle up," he instructs. We get in the front and do as he says. We are going over the edge of the bridge in the van. This is insane. "Hold on!" My heart is racing.

I brace myself the best that I can but impulsively grab onto Daryl as we go over the edge. We somehow manage to land on all four tires.

"We're okay," I hear Carol saying.

We get out of the van and walk. Carol is stumbling and holds onto Daryl to steady herself. Eventually we stop and sit down by a building for a while. We drink some water and relax.

"How bad is it?" Daryl asks Carol.

"I've had worse."

He looks closer at her injured arm. "Damn, that was stupid." 

"We made good time down. There's only three blocks between us and Grady."

"We need to find a place nearby, scope it out, see what we can see."

"You really think we're gonna find out what we need to know just by watching?"

"It's where we start."

We get up and go inside the building. Daryl stabs a walker and picks up some bags of chips. He hands us each one.

"It's them," Carol announces as she looks out the window.

"All right. Let's see what we see." 

We eat and drink water while staring out the window. 

"You said I ain't like how I was before?" he asks her.

"Yeah. "

"How was I?"

"It's like you were a kid. Now you're a man."

"What about you?"

"Me and Sophia stayed at that shelter for a day and a half before I went running back to Ed. I went home, I got beat up, life went on, and I just kept praying for something to happen. But I didn't do anything. Not a damn thing. Who I was with him... she got burned away. And I was happy about that. I mean, not happy, but... And at the prison I got to be who I always thought I should be, thought I should've been. And then she got burned away. Everything now just... consumes you."

"Well, hey... we ain't ashes," Daryl argues.

There's a sound of a door closing in the distance. We go to investigate. There's a walker pinned to a wall with an arrow.

"Is that yours?" Carol asks.

"Yeah," Daryl nods and stabs it in the head and takes his arrow.

Now there's the sound of gunfire in the distance.

A walker lands on top of Carol and Daryl stabs it in the head.

"I'm good," she says. "You go."

Daryl and I run off down the hall and see that kid that took his crossbow. He runs over and lunges at him. A bookshelf falls and pins him. It's partially blocking a walker now that is trying to get in the door but can only fit its head through. Carol makes her way into the room now too.

"Please," the young guy begs. "I had to protect myself."

Carol takes the rifle from the stranger. Daryl grabs some cigarettes, puts one in his mouth and lights it.

"Come on, man. Please!" 

"Nah, I already helped you once," Daryl tells him. "It ain't happenin' again. Have fun with Hoss over there."

"No! Please! I'm sorry! Please!" 

"Daryl!" Carol yells.

"You almost died 'cause of him!"

"But I didn't."

"Nah, let him be."

The walker finally breaks into the room. I raise my gun but Daryl shoots it first with his crossbow. Carol and Daryl lift the bookshelf up so the young guy gets free while I keep an eye out for more walkers.

"Oh, thank you," the stranger is relieved. "I gotta go. They're gonna come. They probably heard the shot. If they find me..."

"Who?" Daryl demands.

"Them, people at the hospital."

"Wait, just tell us- is there a blonde girl there?"

"Beth? She helped me get out, but she's still there."

There's a van pulling up outside now.

"They're coming," Carol announces.

"We gotta go now," the young guy says. "We gotta go. The building next door has a basement. It's clear. We'll be safe."

We run. The stranger limps. He falls down on the floor. Daryl immediately goes to help him. "Go, I got him!" he shouts. The dude isn't getting up. I start to run over and hear Daryl telling him "Come on, get up. Get up!"

Daryl literally starts dragging him. Carol runs ahead but as we get closer, we see a van hit her. Daryl tries to run but the young guy and I hold him back.

"Let go of me!" he struggles.

"Wait!" the stranger says. "They can help her. They're the only ones who can. They have medicine, machines, a doctor. You go out there, you'll have to kill them, okay? And then she can't get their help. Is that what you want? We can get her back. We can get Beth back."

Daryl luckily stops fighting as the people take Carol away in their cars.

"What's it gonna take?" Daryl asks.

"A lot. They got guns, people."

"So do we."

Daryl, me, and the stranger who turns out to be named Noah, drive away in a van together. He has to be in his early 20's which does make him younger than both Daryl and I considering I was 30 when this all started.

We get back to the group and make Noah wait while we meet our group again. Daryl and I walk through the trees and find Michonne. "Where's Carol?" she asks.

We have a lot to explain to the group and they have a lot to explain to us too. Terminus people found Bob and ate his leg. There was a confrontation between the Terminus people and our group in the church. Our group won. Bob passed away and Tyreese took care of him. A lot happened and there is still a lot that's going to happen in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone still reading this? If not then I will not continue to update this story.


	40. Chapter Forty

We all help to take things from inside the church and use it to secure the outside of the church, like hammering boards over windows. Some of us leave during the construction in order to go after Carol. A team forms of Rick, Tyreese, Daryl, Sasha, me, and Noah. Everyone else stays at the church and continues their work.

We make it into a nearby building and Rick tells us all the plan. "We wait until sundown. We fire a shot into the air. Get two of them out on patrol. Then once it's dark enough that the rooftop spotter won't see us, we go. We cut the locks on one of the stairways, take it to the fifth floor. I open the door, Daryl takes the guard out. He slits his throat. This is all about us doing this quiet, keeping the upper hand. They're not expecting us. From there, we fan out. Knives and silenced weapons. We need to be fast. Tyreese, Sasha, take them. Daryl and Del, you take care of whoever is in the kitchen. I got Dawn. If they're smart, the rest of them will give up. Then it'll be six on three. Seven on three once we get a weapon to Beth."

"12 on three," Noah chimes in. "The wards will help."

"That's best case," Tyreese agrees. "What's worst case? All it takes is one of those cops going down the hall at the wrong time. Then it's not quiet. All hands on deck. We're talking about a lot of bullets flying around."

"If that's what it takes," Sasha responds.

"It's not. If we get a couple of her cops alive out here, we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody goes home."

That's actually a pretty good idea. I like that idea better than Rick's plan.

"Yeah, I get it," Rick says. "And it might work. This will work."

"Nah, that'll work, too," Daryl says. "You say this Dawn, she's just trying to keep it together, right?"

"Trying and doing are two different things," Noah answers.

"You take two of her cops away, what choices does she have? Everybody goes home. Like he says."

Of course Rick's plan wins in the end because he's Rick and most of the group worships him no matter what crazy ass idea he has.

We send Noah out among the two officers to cause a diversion. They focus on arresting him when we all step out from hiding with our guns drawn.

"What do you want?" the woman cop asks us.

"Whatever this is, we can help," the man cop insists.

"You do what we say, we don't hurt you," Rick tells them. "Now turn around. Put your guns on the floor and kneel. We need to talk. There's water if you need some and food."

"That's Lamson," Noah points to the man. "He'll be down for this. He's one of the good ones."

Before we can really find out how true that may or may not be, a vehicle with a cross on the back pulls up and starts firing at us, taking the cops and speeding away. We are forced to run for cover. We try to shoot back but the car gets away. So we all start running after it.

We run past a big water tower with the words Evac Here on it. Everyone keeps running one way while Daryl heads towards a trailer labeled FEMA. He's all by himself so I follow him in case anything happens where he needs back up.

He opens the door and a cop jumps on him and starts to strangle him. There's a legless zombie on the ground trying to eat us. I stab the zombie as Rick runs over. He holds a gun to the cop.

"Rick, three is better than two," Daryl points out as he gets up.

We all head inside a building. We have the man and woman cop back and also this new cop now.

"Your friend, what's his name?" the woman cop asks. "I need to talk to him. Your plan is going to get me and my friends killed."

"We're gonna make it work," Sasha insists.

"It would work if you had different cops to trade. Dawn's running Grady into the ground. A bunch of us want her out and she knows it. Pretty sure she knows we want Lamson to replace her, too."

"Dawn doesn't know that," Lamson replies.

"She might. And she's smart. So there's a good chance you can't make this deal work and that'll leave us all dead. But if you let us go, we'll take care of Dawn ourselves and then we'll let your friends go and this is over."

"No, we're not gonna do that."

"Do you want to die?"

"No. I just need you to shut up right now. You can make this work. But you've got to be able to talk to her."

"Noah told us all about her," Sasha says.

"I've known her for eight years, ma'am. I know this woman. And my only interest is peaceful resolution, not dying, and sleeping in my bed tonight. So, please, let me help you. Please."

Sasha and Ty go get some water from outside and bring it in for everyone. Rick is talking to Lamson.

"She'll tell you she won't make a deal. She'll tell you she won't compromise. But she will. She always does. Just know who you're talking to."

"Probably heading out in the next 10 minutes or so. Anything you need before we leave?" 

"Actually, water would be great."

"Will do. Thanks, Sergeant Lamson."

"My name's Bob."

"You're still a cop."

"No, the real ones are all gone."

We all leave Sasha watching over Lamson who is tied up to a pole in the building. But when we return we find him gone and Sasha knocked out. Rick tells us to stay while he goes after Lamson. When he returns, he pulls Daryl and me to the side to speak privately.

"He wouldn't stop," he tells us.

So that's it... Rick killed him.

"This change things?" Daryl asks.

"It has to."

We all turn our attention to the cops to see if they will go along with us. 

"He was a good man," the woman cop says. "He was attacked by rotters. Saw it go down."

"Huh. You're a damn good liar," Rick tells her.

"We're hanging by a thread here. He was attacked by rotters. That's the story."

"You said the trade was a bad idea," Daryl points out to her. "What changed?"

"Lamson was our shot. So it's this or you go in guns blazing, right? You don't want that."

"If this is some bullshit you're spinning and things go south..." Rick warns her.

"I know. I know the good ones from the bad. Let us help you."

"What about you?" Rick asks the man cop. "You wanna live? How much?"

"Dawn's afraid she'll look weak in front of us," he says. "Thinks it'll tip things against her. Hell, it will. She'll see this trade as a rip-off if she thinks you took out one of our guys. So it's a good thing Lamson got aced by rotters."

We head to a rooftop and keep our gins with scopes out, pointed at the scene as Rick confronts some of the officers. They agree to make a trade, our people for theirs. We all head into their hospital and prepare to make the switch.

"They haven't been harmed," Rick tells the woman in charge, Dawn.

"Where's Lamson?" she asks.

"Rotters got him," the woman cop we have in our custody answers. "We saw it go down."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys. One of yours for one of mine." "All right."

Daryl brings the male cop halfway and they bring Carol halfway. She's in a wheel chair. Then we take our people to our sides of the hallway. Then Rick marches the woman cop down and Dawn gives us Beth.

"Glad we could work things out," Dawn says.

"Yeah," Rick agrees, nodding.

"Now I just need Noah. And then you can leave."

Rick frowns. "That wasn't part of the deal."

"Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back. My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died."

"No," Daryl tells her. 

"He's one of mine," she argues. "You have no claim on him."

"The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him," Rick tells her. 

"Well, then we don't have a deal."

"The deal is done!"

"It's okay," Noah steps forward.

"It's not okay," Beth says.

"It's settled," Dawn insists.

"Wait!" Beth runs after Noah to give him a hug.

"It's okay," Noah tells her.

"I knew you'd be back," Dawn grins.

"I get it now," Beth says, going up to Dawn. Before any of us can react, she stabs her with a pair of scissors she was hiding and Dawn reacts instantly. She shoots Beth in the head, giving no one any chance to intervene and save her. It all happens insanely fast and then it's over and Beth is falling to the ground dead. I can barely believe my eyes.

Dawn shakes her head as she sees Daryl running towards her but there is no mercy for her now. Daryl takes out his gun and shoots her in the head, killing her for killing ours. Everyone is pulling out their guns now but the woman cop stops us all.

"No!" she cries out. "Hold your fire! It's over. It was just about her. Stand down."

Daryl is starting to cry. Carol puts a hand on his shoulder and he turns back to us. Everyone is beginning to cry now.

"You can stay," Dawn's people tell us. "We're surviving here. It's better than out there."

"No," Rick tells them. "And I'm taking anyone back there who wants to leave. If you want to come with us... just step forward now."

We all leave the hospital with Noah tagging along. The rest of our group has made it here and they meet us as we walk out. Daryl is holding Beth's body in his arms. It's all incredibly heart breaking and I can't help shedding a few tears. Maggie falls to the ground sobbing.

I found Beth annoying but she was still one of our people. She made a stupid move trying to stab Dawn like that. She wasn't the brightest girl. She was naive. But she didn't deserve to die like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to be sure to let me know that you're reading or else I won't know to update


	41. Chapter Forty-One

Funerals and more funerals. It never ends. Beth is buried and so is Tyreese. Rick and some of the others went on a trip to see if Noah's home was safe. And it turned out it wasn't. Tyreese was with them and he was bit. He didn't make it. The news makes me sad. He was a good guy and I wonder if I was there with them if his death could have been prevented.

There isn't a lot of time to grieve. We have to move on and try to survive. Though that's getting harder and harder. We've been traveling for a while now with no food or water. We all keep searching for some everywhere we can. Daryl manages to dig up a worm and eat it but I pass on that. The worm isn't going to offer me much help.

We find a creek but it's all dried up so then it's back on the road.

Rick talks to Daryl and I as we walk. "We're not at our strongest," he says. "We'll get 'em when it's best. High ground, something like that. They're not going anywhere. It's been three weeks since Atlanta. I know you lost something back there."

Way to point out the obvious...

Judith begins fussing, interrupting our conversation- if you can even call it that.

"She's hungry," Daryl says. 

"She's okay. She's going to be okay."

"We need to find water...food."

"We'll hit something in the road. It's gonna rain sooner or later." 

"I'm gonna head out," Daryl offers. "See what I can find." 

"Don't be too long."

"I'll go with you," Carol suggests.

"I got it."

"You gonna stop me?"

I trail behind Carol and Daryl, listening as they talk. I don't trust her.

"Anything?" she asks him.

"No, it's too dry," he tells her. "There ain't nothing here. "

"Maybe we should start back."

He shakes his head. "You go."

"I think she saved my life," Carol says, bringing up Beth. "She saved your life, too, right?" She hands him a knife and tells him "It was hers." Then she continues "We're not dead. That's what you said. You're not dead. I know you. We're different. I can't let myself- But you... I know you. You have to let yourself feel it. You will."

"Keep your damn opinions to yourself," I snap at her.

She doesn't seem to care, just shrugs it off and heads back with us to rejoin the group. We get back to find that the group has managed to kill a bunch of walkers in our absence and I think that the walk with Carol wasn't worth it.

We come upon some abandoned cars. Daryl doesn't seem to want to stick around. "I'm gonna head into the woods, circle back," he announces.

"May I come with?" Carol immediately chimes in.

Dumb bitch...

"No," he tells her. "Just me."

I watch him go for a few minutes then slowly start after him. He probably does need his space but if he gets into any trouble out there all alone, I wouldn't forgive myself.

We run into each other eventually and at first he just frowns at me.

"You mad at me?" I question him, hands on my hips.

He shakes his head.

"Ya shouldn't let her get to you," I tell him.

"I don't wanna' talk about it."

I walk over and take his hand. He lets me hold onto him until we get back to the group.

Everyone is sitting by the side of the road. It's not too long after we arrive that more trouble arises. A pack of dogs emerge from the trees, growling at us viciously. We're all surprised but begin to pull our weapons. Sasha shoots them all before we can do anything, startling me even more than the sight of the dogs.

I'm not sure who's idea it is to eat the dogs but most everyone joins in. I decline. Not because I'm too good to eat dogs. I ate raw squirrel that once when I had to. This isn't much worse. But my empty stomach doesn't feel ready to handle it yet. I got so hungry that now I feel too sick to try eating. Instead I just drink some water.

Water is running low too. The next day, we barely have any water left. There is one bottle that Glenn has and he offers a sip to Daryl as we walk.

"No, I'm all right," Daryl declines.

"Daryl. Don't. Hey, we can make it together. But we can only make it together."

With that, Glenn walks off.

Daryl decides to walk off as well, into the woods. He tells Abraham "Tell them I went looking for water."

I again let him go alone at first but eventually follow, wanting to be sure he doesn't get into any trouble with walkers or anything. I find him by a barn, sitting on the ground with his back to a tree. He lowers a cigarette towards his skin, like he's thinking of burning himself. I start running and knock the cigarette out of his hand, stamping it down with my foot.

"Don't..." I tell him.

He puts his face in his hands and starts to cry. He rarely cries like this and the sight breaks my heart. I sit down with him and wrap my arms around him, doing my best to comfort him.

"It's okay," I say. "Everything's gonna' be okay. We'll keep goin. We'll make it. That's what she would want for us to do. You and me... we have each other, remember? We can get through anything if we have each other, right?"

He sniffles and nods. "Yeah."

I give him another tight embrace and kiss his cheek. I grab his hand and pull him to his feet. "Let's go."

We find the group gathered around some water bottles left in the road. There's a note saying From a friend.

"What else are we gonna do?" Tara is asking.

"Not this," Rick says. "We don't know who left it."

"If that's a trap, we already happen to be in it," Eugene comments. "But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend."

"What if it isn't?" Carol questions. "They put something in it?"

Eugene reaches for the water.

"What are you doing, dude?" Tara asks him.

"Quality assurance," he answers.

Abraham slaps the bottle out of his hand.

"We can't," Rick agrees.

There's the sound of thunder rumbling in the sky. Rain starts to pour. It's unbelievable.

Everyone laughs and sticks their tongues out to catch the rain in their mouths.

Judith begins to cry so Rick says "Let's keep moving."

"There's a barn," Daryl tells him.

We go back to the barn where I found Daryl sitting earlier. Everyone waits outside while Maggie goes in and kills a walker inside with Carol. 

We all head inside then and try to make ourselves comfortable. It's night time and still thundering. We have lanterns lit with flames and a fire going.

Rick looks at sleeping Carl and says "I used to feel sorry for kids that have to grow up now. In this. But I think I got it wrong. Growing up is getting used to the world. This is easier for them."

"This isn't the world," Michonne argues. "This isn't it."

"It might be," Glenn says.

"That's giving up."

"It's reality," Rick insists. "Until we see otherwise, this is what we have to live with. When I was a kid... I asked my grandpa once if he ever killed any Germans in the war. He wouldn't answer. He said that was grown-up stuff, so... so I asked if the Germans ever tried to kill him. But he got real quiet. He said he was dead the minute he stepped into enemy territory. Every day he woke up and told himself, "Rest in peace. Now get up and go to war." And then after a few years of pretending he was dead... he made it out alive. That's the trick of it, I think. We do what we need to do and then we get to live. But no matter what we find in DC, I know we'll be okay. Because this is how we survive. We tell ourselves... that we are the walking dead."

I think that's a bullshit story. Not that it isn't true, but that it's stupid. I don't want to go around everyday thinking I'm pretty much dead already. I don't want to go everyday thinking me or the people I care about are going to die. We might make it through like Rick says. But it's not the way I want to. There are other ways. I'm going to make it through this fighting like hell for my life. I'm alive. Daryl's alive. And I plan to keep it that way.

I'm not the only one who doesn't like that theory either. Daryl argues Rick saying "We ain't them."

"We're not them," Rick tries to fix it. "We're not."

"We ain't them," Daryl insists, getting up and walking into a horse stall. I go sit close by, staying quiet.

Later that night, Daryl is pacing in front of the barn doors. There's a small gap between them through the chain. And through the gap, Daryl sees something he doesn't like. He quickly goes to try to hold the doors closed and I realize then what's happening. There are walkers. Quite a few of them. And they are heading in this direction. We all run over and press against the doors to hold them shut against the walkers.

By morning, the walkers have all perished in the storm. Everyone is sleeping except me, Daryl, and Maggie. Maggie tells us "You both should sleep."

"Yeah." Daryl nods.

"It's okay to rest now."

"She was tough," he tells her, meaning Beth. "She didn't know it, but she was." He hands her a music box he had been working on fixing. Carl gave it to Maggie earlier in memory of Beth but they thought it was broken. "The gearbox had some grit in it," he explains.

"Thank you," she tells him, smiling a little.

She goes outside to see what damage has been left by the storm. Daryl lays down on his back and I move closer to him. I rest my head on his shoulder and place one arm over his chest. We both close our eyes and finally let sleep take us.


	42. Chapter Forty-Two

We're all sitting inside the barn when it happens. I'm watching Daryl fiddle with his crossbow and arrows. Then the doors open and it's Maggie and Sasha with a stranger man. All of us are immediately jumping to our feet and staring the stranger down. You can never be too careful.

"Hey, everyone, this is Aaron," Maggie tells us. "We met him outside. He's by himself. We took his weapons and we took his gear."

Daryl immediately runs over, looks outside, then pats him down. Aaron doesn't seem too offended by this.

"Hi," he says. "It's nice to meet you."

"You said he had a weapon?" Rick asks. Maggie brings it to him and he pockets it. "There's something you need?"

"He has a camp, nearby," Sasha explains. "He wants us to audition for membership."

Audition? What the fuck...?

"I wish there was another word," Aaron apologizes. "Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe. That's only on Friday nights."

It is a kind of funny joke. I get what he's trying to do here. But none of us are exactly in a laughing mood. 

"Um, and it's not a camp," he continues. "It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home. I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into. Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack?"

Sasha hands Rick a backpack.

"Front pocket, there's an envelope. There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old camera store last-"

"Nobody gives a shit," Daryl interrupts.

Again Aaron doesn't seem too offended. "You're absolutely 100% right. That's the first picture I wanted to show you because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us, you will be. Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot-high, 12-foot-wide slab of solid steel framed by cold-rolled steel beams and square tubing. Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so. Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people. Together we're strong. You can make us even stronger. The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc-"

Rick suddenly runs over and punches him, knocking him out.

"Shit!" I curse, taken aback by Rick's sudden decision. What the fuck?

Michonne speaks up next, not liking the punch choice either. "So we're clear, that look wasn't a "let's attack that man" look," she tells Rick. "It was a "he seems like an okay guy to me" look."

"We got to secure him. Dump his pack. Let's see what this guy really is. Everybody else, we need eyes in every direction. They're coming for us. We might not know how or when, but they are."

This is just bullshit... I get awfully tired of Rick's stupid ass decisions sometimes.

"Me and Sasha, we didn't see him," Maggie says. "If he had wanted to hurt us, he could've." 

"Anybody see anything?" Rick asks. 

"Just a lot of places to hide," Glenn answers. 

"All right, keep looking."

Carl helps search through Aaron's belongings and hands his father a flare gun he found. To me, this guy doesn't even seem that dangerous. There are a lot of us and no sign of anyone to back this guy up. I think we can handle him. He made no move to hurt or threaten any of us. He genuinely seems to want to help. I know well enough that people aren't always trustworthy. It's good to be cautious around him. But that doesn't mean we have to knock him out and tie him up like this either.

Aaron wakes up on the ground and says "That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick. You're being cautious. I completely understand."

This guy doesn't get too offended by much, does he?

"How many of your people are out there? You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. Yes, it does."

"I mean, of course, it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure no matter what number I say... eight, 32, 444, zero... No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me."

"Well, it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face."

"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?"

That was him...?

"How long you people been following us?" Daryl asks. 

"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other. You're survivors and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."

This guy is right about that much... He's really been watching us? I guess that can be a smart choice if you're considering whether or not to invite people to join your community? Seeing how they act on their own before bringing them in...seeing if they are trustworthy good people...

"How many others are out there?"

"One."

Rick just frowns at this answer.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me. If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real? What if I drove you to the community? All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch."

"I'm not sure how the 16 of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in," Rick says.

"We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us."

"And you're parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol asks. 

"East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."

"Yeah, you've really thought this through," Rick says.

"Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me."

"I'll check out the cars," Michonne offers.

"There aren't any cars," Rick insists.

"There's only one way to find out."

"We don't need to find out."

"We do. You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not."

"Me neither," Maggie agrees. 

"Your way is dangerous, mine isn't," Rick tells them. 

"Passing up someplace where we can live?" Michonne demands. "Where Judith can live? That's pretty dangerous. We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."

Thank goodness for Michonne standing up to Rick. She's a smart woman. And tough. I can respect that. Rick's decisions right now...I don't respect those. He's wrong. He's acting crazy. And he's going to put us all in danger if he continues on this way.

This isn't even the first time that I have been against Rick's leadership. Ever since the whole 'this isn't a democracy anymore' thing...he's never been on my good side. And then especially when he wouldn't let Merle join us. We all know how that turned out.

But there's not an awful lot I can do about it except try to stand up to him and convince him. I like this group and I want it to work. Aaron was right that having people is a good defense.

Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Rosita, and Abraham head out to go check everything out. The rest of us stay put in the barn.

"When the world was still the world, I worked for an NGO," Aaron tells us all. "Our mission was to deliver medicine and food to the Niger River Delta. Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week. You're not bad people. You're not going to kill us. And we are definitely not going to kill you."

"Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you," Rick says. "If the five of them aren't back in an hour... I'll put a knife in the base of your skull."

Most of us head outside to keep an eye on the perimeter, basically leaving Rick and Judith alone with Aaron inside the barn.

We go back inside when the five people we sent out return safely. We all head inside. Carl asks his father if we are going to the community. Our five people found what Aaron said to be true. "Why wouldn't we go?" he asks.

"If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us... but he isn't, and he doesn't," Michonne says. "We need this. So we're going, all of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently."

Thank you again Michonne...

"This barn smells like horse shit," Daryl says, as if this is enough reason for him to want to go to this community.

"Yeah, we're going," Rick gives in. "So where are we going? Where's your camp?"

"Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back," Aaron says. "I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet."

"You're not driving," Michonne tells him. "So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."

"Go north on Route 16."

"And then?"

"I'll tell you when we get there."

"We'll take 23 north," Rick argues."You'll give us directions from there."

"That's... I don't know how else to say it... That's a bad idea. We've cleared 16. It'll be faster."

"We'll take 23. We leave at sundown. Look, I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you. You're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now. It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can."

If Rick keeps this up...putting us in danger like this...it's going to be a big problem.


	43. Chapter Forty-Three

Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Aaron go in Aaron's car. The rest of us get in the RV. Just like it was said before, traveling at night is dangerous. We run into a bunch of walkers in the road. It causes the two vehicles to swerve and we get separated.

Those of us in the RV group take shelter inside a building. But not before the friend of Aaron's ends up injured. He got caught under the RV surrounded by walkers who rolled a rear passenger tire onto his left ankle. I take a look at it and discover that it's broken. I do my best to make a splint for him with the materials I have. His name is Eric and he seems nice enough as well. I think this place might be okay but I'm not letting my guard down yet.

Finally Rick and the rest catch up with us. We run out to greet them. Once we all reunite, we go into another room. Aaron finds us and decides to make a speech.

"Excuse me," he says. "Everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. And I will make sure that debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight. Maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning."

"That sounds fine," Rick agrees. "But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleeping over there." He points off into the distance.

"You really think we got to do that?" Maggie questions.

"It's the safe play," Rick insists. "We don't know you."

"The only way you're gonna stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me," Aaron surprises me by standing up to Rick.

But then I get it... Eric is more than his friend. Eric is his boyfriend. I was pretty sure Eric was gay as soon as I met him. It was easy to tell. It's not like I've never seen gay people before. I don't really have any problem with it. I don't know why I would. They're people just like anyone else. Love is love. And it's pretty damn short to come by in this world now. I know how much I love Daryl and I understand how Aaron must feel about Eric.

"Whoa," Glenn says. "Rick, he told us where the camp is. And he really was only travelling with one other person. They're both unarmed. One of them's got a broken ankle. I want us to be safe, too. I can't give up everything else. I know what I said, but it does matter."

"All right," Rick gives in.

Aaron and Eric sleep in the same room. The rest of us sleep in the same room. Daryl and I find a corner to rest in together. I use my backpack as a pillow and my jacket as a blanket.

The next morning we travel again. Most of us are in the RV but a few go in a car. Eugene and some people are playing cards. Abraham is driving with Rosita in the passenger seat. Eric is sleeping in a bed in the back with Aaron watching over him. Daryl and I are sitting together and I doze a little with my head on his shoulder. That is until the battery of the RV dies.

We all step outside then. Daryl climbs on top of the RV to keep a lookout. Glenn knows just how to fix the RV luckily thanks to Dale teaching him long ago. We're in Washington before we know it and at the gates of this community called Alexandria.

We all step out and there's the sound of children playing. It's honestly a relief. It's a good sign. Still, I won't let my guard down completely. But it's definitely a good sign for us.

As the gates open, Daryl shoots a possum with an arrow and picks it up by the tail announcing "We brought dinner."

I almost laugh at that.

"It's okay," Aaron encourages us. "Come on in, guys."

We step inside the gates and a man tells us "Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. Stay, you hand them over."

"We don't know if we want to stay," Rick points out.

"It's fine, Nicholas," Aaron tells the guy.

"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already," Rick says. 

"Let them talk to Deanna first," Aaron suggests.

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham questions.

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place," Aaron answers. "Rick, why don't you start?"

We can all hear a walker snarling behind the gates. Rick says "Sasha." And she shoots it. "It's a good thing we're here." 

It's not long before we begin to meet the leader of this place, Deanna Monroe. She was a congressperson in Ohio. According to her this place was a planned community with its own solar grid, cisterns, eco-based sewage filtration. Prices of the houses started in the low 800,000s yet they sold them all. Deanna was with her family trying to get back to Ohio to help when everything happened but the army stopped her on a back road and directed her here. There was a huge shopping mall being built nearby and her husband Reg is a professor or architecture. He, with the help of some of the other people, put up the wall around this place. She claims we are the first group they have considered taking in for a long time. She says we can help them survive and that's what she wants.

She conducts interviews in her living room with each one us individually one at a time. Rick goes first. Before the rest of us can go, Deanna is sure to make us deposit all of our guns in a bin outside. "They're still your guns," she tells us. "You can check them out whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here, we store them for safety."

I don't like handing over my gun but at least I get to keep my dagger on me. When it comes time for my interview, I stand leaning back against the wall, arms crossed over my chest. 

"Feel free to sit down," Deanna tells me after introducing herself.

"I'm fine," I tell her.

She pokes and prods me for my story so I give her it but keep it as short as possible.

"We have a doctor here but we can always use more people in the medical field," she tells me.

"Whatever," I shrug.

"Do you want to be a part of our community?"

I nod a little. "I think so."

"Good." She smiles, clearly pleased with my answer. "What do you think of the people in your group?"

"They're alright."

"And Rick? What did you think of his leadership?"

I shrug again and stay silent.

 

"And Daryl? I hear that you have a relationship with him."

"Yeah...I do."

"You didn't know any of these people before this?"

I shake my head. "No."

"I think I can see why you and Mr. Dixon get along so well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean no offense by that."

"Whatever."

"Not much of a talker are you?"

I give her another silent shrug.

And that's basically the end of it. Though she says there may be more questions later.

I make my way to the house where Rick and Carl and Judith are. Daryl is on the front steps gutting his possum that he killed. Carl and Carol go off to explore the other house we are allowed to use. The two houses are right next to each other. I sit, watching Daryl.

"How'd it go?" he asks me.

"Alright I guess," I shrug. "You?"

He shrugs as well.

Carol returns so me, Daryl, and Rick join her to talk.

"They're right next to each other, but-" she starts.

"They took our weapons and now they're splitting us up," Rick says.

"Yeah."

"We'll all be staying in the same house tonight."


	44. Forty-Four

The group all gathers in the living room area of one house. There are blankets and pillows set on the floor. Carl is reading a comic book at the table. Carol is sitting on the couch sketching in a notepad. Daryl is sitting by the window. I sit close by and watch over Judith in her playpen.

Michonne walks in from the bathroom to join us. "How long was I in there for?"

"20 minutes," Rick answers.

"God, I could not stop brushing," she laughs, holding the toothbrush in her hand. Having running water is an excellent bonus. She notices that Rick shaved and says "I've never seen your face like that."

It looks a lot better in my opinion...

"That's what I felt before and after," Rick says.

"Look... I get why we're playing it safe. We should. I just- I have a good feeling about this place."

I agree with Michonne. It's weird adjusting to this place and I haven't let my guard down yet but I think this might turn out to be a good place for our group.

"Well, I hope you're right."

"Yeah, me, too."

A knocking sound at the door interrupts us all. Rick answers it to see Deanna. She is also surprised by his clean-shaven face.

"Rick, I- Wow," she says. "I didn't know what was under there. Listen, I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling. Oh, my. Staying together. Smart."

"No one said we couldn't," Rick replies.

"You said you're a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?"

"Everybody said you gave them jobs."

Jobs... that might be a little bit of an understatement. I got told that I could be a nurse here but that she still had to see what I could do in my free time because I'm apparently I'm going to have loads of that...

"Mm-hmm. Yeah. Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all." 

"Well, you didn't give me one."

"I have. I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will. You look good."

She can have fun trying to figure Daryl out...

We all head to bed after she leaves. I sleep pressed against Daryl's side, one arm over him.

The next day the whole group goes for a walk, Carl pushing Judith in a stroller. Daryl insists on sitting on the porch still. His crossbow is beside him.

"They said explore," Rick tells Daryl. "Let's explore."

"Nah, I'll stay."

"All right...Lori and me, we used to drive through neighborhoods like this. Thinking, "One day..." 

"Well, here we are," Daryl says.

"Del? You going?"

I shake my head. "Later."

"Alright. We'll be back."

I sit near Daryl and we smoke quietly together. We don't have to talk to understand each other. He's uncomfortable. And so am I. This place...it's not like where he and I came from. I never really was fond of rich people. Most of them seemed to be spoiled snobs. Yet, as Daryl said, here we are...

We were both outsiders who somehow found each other and found our places among this group. But it's almost starting over again in a way. We are the obvious outsiders among this community. It's a weird feeling. I'm not very eager to parade around this place either. I'd rather sit back and watch from the sidelines for now.

Carol walks over later after her interview with Deanna. She looks odd wearing a dressy shirt and trousers and a fancy cardigan sweater.

"Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles," she announces.

"What?" Daryl asks.

"Make dinner for the older people- moms who need a break, people who can't cook. Get to meet a lot of the neighbors that way."

Daryl scoffs at that. "Alright."

"Have you taken a shower yet? Either of you?"

"Mm-hmm," Daryl says, nodding though it's an obvious lie.

"I will soon," I assure her.

"Take a shower," she tells Daryl. "I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances, even you."

"Hey, I ain't starting now," he argues.

"I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep."

I bite my lip to hold back a laugh.

"You look ridiculous," he tells her as she walks away.

Glenn, Noah, and Tara are returning from their test supply run with some Alexandria guys Aiden and Nicholas so we all go to meet them.

"You three need new gigs," Aiden is saying. "You're not ready for runs yet."

"Yeah, pretty sure you got that backwards," Glenn says.

"Hey, look, we got a way of doing things around here."

"You tied up walkers."

"It killed our friend. Look, I'm not having this conversation. You obey my orders out there."

What the fuck is happening...?

"Then we're just as screwed as your last run crew."

"Say that again."

"No, back off, Aiden," Tara tries to break it up.

"Come on, man. Just take a step back," Noah encourages. 

Aiden shoves Glenn.

"No one's impressed, man," Glenn says. "Walk away."

"Aiden!" Deanna runs over. "What is going on?"

"This guy's got a problem with the way we do things. Why did you let these people in?" 

"Because we actually know what we're doing out there," Glenn says.

"Aiden, no!" Deanna yells as Aiden tries to punch Glenn. Glenn dodges it and punches him in the face. "That's enough!"

Nicholas tries to join in but Daryl tackles him to the ground. Rick runs over and pulls Daryl off of him because he is choking Nicholas. He tells Daryl and everyone "Whoa! Hey! Let's not do this now."

"I want everyone to hear me, okay?" Deanna says. "Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways, as equals. Understood?"

"Understood," Aiden relents.

"All of you, turn in your weapons. Then you two come talk to me." She points at Aiden and Nicholas. The two of them walk away. She turns to Rick then. " I told you I had a job for you. I'd like you to be our constable. That's what you were. That's what you are." She also turns to Michonne. "And you, too. Will you accept?"

Rick nods. "Okay."

"Yeah, I'm in," Michonne agrees.

Daryl scoffs and walks away so I go after him. I can hear Deanna thanking Glenn for knocking her son on his ass.

I grab Daryl's arm and stop him near the house. "Hey," I say.

"I don't wanna' talk," he tells me, pulling away.

"Neither do I," I assure him. "Come with me."

I grab onto him again and tug him to the second house that we haven't been staying in. I drag him upstairs to the bathroom.

"What are ya doin?" he demands. "Gonna' force me to shower?"

"No. You're gonna get in here with me cause ya wanna."

He gives me a challenging look.

I start stripping my clothes and step into the shower, turning the water on. I hold my hand out to him. "C'mon," I encourage him.

He finally undresses and joins me. He steps into the shower and kisses me. I kiss him back. We help wash the dirt off each other. It almost seems there are endless layers of filth on our skin. But finally we are actually clean and the warm water actually feels amazing. It's been forever since I've last had a shower.

Daryl and I find the nearest bed to make love in. A real bed. Not just a quick rough roll on the ground. It's amazing.

We lay together for a little while after but eventually force ourselves to rejoin the rest of the group before they come looking for us. They are all gathered in the living room area of the house next door again. Some people are playing cards, others are sitting around.

"I'm gonna' have a smoke," Daryl heads for the porch.

"Sounds good," I say and follow him.

We both lean against the porch rails in the dark and smoke. Rick walks over to us.

"We good?" Rick asks us.

I nod." Yeah."

"Yeah," Daryl agrees. "You a cop again?"

" I'm trying it on for size."

Carol walks over too and asks "So we're staying?"

Rick nods. "I think we can start sleeping in our own homes. Settle in."

"If we get comfortable here, we let our guard down- this place is gonna make us weak," Carol protests.

"Carl said that. But it's not gonna happen. We won't get weak. That's not in us anymore. We'll make it work. And if they can't make it... then we'll just take this place."

And there goes Rick acting crazy again. I really don't want this to come down to the group splitting up over Rick's choices. I don't want anything bad to happen. I don't like this at all...


	45. Chapter Forty-Five

Daryl, Rick, Carol, and I all gather in the woods by an abandoned house. There's a bunch of junk all around it like broken chairs and tires and stuff like that. There's a walker somewhere in the distance making groaning noises. 

"I don't see it, but it's close," Daryl says. "There's just one of 'em."

"We won't be here long," Rick replies. "So what do you think?"

He and Carol have apparently devised a plan to get us some guns. I'm not actually sure I like this plan...

"We can go in when it's empty," Carol suggests. 

"How is that? It's locked up at night."

"The window. There's just a latch. I can leave it open."

"What if one of those pricks shuts it?" Daryl questions.

"Wait a couple of days, leave it open again."

He looks off into the distance for the walker and says "It's getting closer."

"We need to do it sooner than later," Rick continues. "Right now, they're not watching us. Not worrying about meetings like this. We may need the guns, we may not."

"We will whatever way it goes," Carol insists.

"They're the luckiest damn people I ever met. And they just keep getting luckier. "

"How's that?" Daryl asks.

I'm wondering the same thing. With Rick's logic it's hard to tell what he's thinking.

"We're here now."

Someone's full of himself...

"They've got a couple of footlockers just full of 9 millimeter autos, Rugers, Kel-Tecs. Just tossed in there," Carol tells us. "They don't use them. They're never gonna know they're gone."

"Listen, the others, we want them to try."

"You, too."

"So we keep it quiet. Just us."

The walker is coming towards us now, emerging from the woods. 

"I got him," Daryl offers.

Carol interjects and takes the walker for herself.

"We should get back," Rick says. "You'll pull the latch, we'll pick our moment. Us, we don't need to be lucky."

"What the hell's that?" Daryl suddenly points at a dead walker with a W carved into its forehead. "Is that a W?"

What the hell...?

\---

Daryl and I are walking through the woods alone together when we hear leaves rustling. I pull out my dagger and he points his crossbow. "Come out! Now!" he demands.

Aaron walks out of the trees with his hands up. Daryl and I lower our weapons.

"You can tell the difference between walkers and humans by sound?" Aaron asks. "Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy? Rick doesn't seem to be an expert at that."

"There ain't much of a difference no more."

"That how you feel about your people?"

"Did ya come here just to annoy us?" I ask him.

"Why you following us?" Daryl asks.

"I didn't know I was," he answers. "I came out to hunt rabbits. I know why you're out here. Mind if I join?"

Daryl looks to me and I give him a kind of a shrug.

"Keep up," Daryl says to Aaron. "And keep quiet."

As we walk, we eventually run into a horse standing in a field. Aaron doesn't seem surprised to see it.

"I've been trying to catch him for months, bring him inside," he explains. "His name is Buttons. One of the kids saw him run by the gate a while back. Thought he looked like a Buttons. I haven't seen him for a while. I was afraid it was too late. Every time Eric or I come close, he gets spooked."

He starts to pull out a rope and Daryl takes it from him. 

"Have you done this before?" Aaron asks.

"My group did," Daryl informs him. "But they weren't out there that long. The longer they're out there, the more they become what they really are."

I watch him approach the horse slowly, wondering if he's actually talking about the horse of himself. Maybe both.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya," he tells the horse. "All right? Come on, boy. Yeah. Just keep on eating. Yeah. Good boy. Yeah, you used to be somebody's, huh? Now you're just yours."

All of a sudden, walkers come stumbling into the field and the horse runs. We kill the walkers then go in search of the horse.

"You ride horses?" Aaron asks us.

I shrug. I have ridden horses before but it's not really a hobby of mine.

"I ride bikes," Daryl says.

"I take it you don't mean 10-speeds," Aaron says. "I know you two feel like outsiders. It's not your fault, you know. Eric and I, we're still looked at as outsiders in a lot of ways. We've heard our fair share of well-meaning, but hilariously offensive things from some otherwise really nice men and women. People are people. The more afraid they get, the more stupid they get. Fear shrinks the brain. They're scared of you and me for different reasons. They're less scared of me because they know me. It's less and less every day. So let them get to know you. You both should go to Deanna's party tonight."

Party? Doesn't sound like my type of thing...

"I got nothing to prove," Daryl insists. "I met a lot of bad people out here doing a lot of bad shit. They weren't afraid of nothing."

"Yeah, they were," Aaron insists.

And I think he's probably right about that one.

Eventually we manage to track down the horse in another field. There are walkers around it.

"Gotta move quick," Daryl instructs. "He's pinned in with them. I got the far ones."

As we run out, a walker trips Aaron to the ground and tries to bite him so Daryl smashes its head.

I kill a few walkers myself but it's no use. The horse gets taken down by walkers and is on the ground dying. Aaron decides to shoot it and put it out of its misery.

"He always ran," he tells us sadly.

"You were trying to help him," Daryl says.

\---

Daryl and I are alone together while everyone else goes to the party.

"What do ya think of this Aaron guy?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Don't know."

"He's a little weird."

But so are we... maybe he's right about being an outsider and shit.

"Should we go to that party?" I ask.

"Don't know."

"Let's walk," I say, pulling him along by his arm.

We walk close enough together that our arms touch. We look at Deanna's house where the party is going on but neither one of us can bring ourselves to go inside.

"Daryl. Delilah. Hey," Aaron greets us, walking outside his house on the porch.

"Thought you were going to that party over there," Daryl says.

"Oh, I was never going to go 'cause of Eric's ankle, thank God."

Daryl frowns at him. "Why the hell did you tell us to go, then?" 

"I said try. You did. It's a thought that counts thing."

He may be right about a lot of things but he's still kind of annoying...

"All right..."

"Hey, come in. Have some dinner. It's some pretty serious spaghetti."

What does that even mean? Serious Spaghetti? What is he trying to do here?

We go inside their house, looking around curiously. This is kind of awkward really. We sit at the table across from Eric and Aaron. Daryl slurps his spaghetti obnoxiously but they don't seem to mind.

"Thanks," Daryl tells them.

I nod. "Thanks."

"Mmm, when you're out there, if you happen to be in a store or something, Mrs. Neudermyer is really looking for a pasta maker," Eric begins.

What the hell is he even talking about?

"And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it. I mean, we have crates of dried pasta in here, but she wants to make her own or something. I really think she just wants something to talk about, so... if you see one out on your travels, it would go a long way to... "

He only stops when Aaron gives him a look.

"I thought it was done," Eric says. "You didn't ask already?"

I raise an eyebrow at them. What are they up to?

"Ask me what?" Daryl questions.

Aaron leads us to the garage where there is a motorcycle and all kinds of parts and tools.

"When I got the place, there was that frame and some parts and equipment," Aaron tells us. "Whoever lived here built them."

"It's a lot of parts for one bike," Daryl says.

"Whenever I came across any parts out there, I brought them back. I didn't know what I'd need. I always thought I'd learn how to do it, but I get the feeling you already know what to do with it. And the thing is, you're going to need a bike."

"Why?"

"I told Deanna not to give you a job because I think I have one for you. I'd like you to be Alexandria's other recruiter. I don't want Eric risking his life anymore."

"You want me risking mine, right?"

"Yeah, because you know what you're doing. You're good out there. But you don't belong out there. I know it's hard getting used to people getting used to you. And I understand right now you need to be out there sometimes. So do I. But the main reason why I want you to help me recruit is because you do know the difference between a good person and a bad person."

Daryl looks to me, waiting to see my reaction before he says anything to Aaron.

Aaron notices this and I think he's afraid we might tell him no because he quickly throws in another suggestion.

"Del could come along too, at least when she's not needed medically. We already have a doctor here and there haven't been any serious injuries lately. We could probably use a woman out there."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I just mean that sometimes women are more easily trusting of other women. When a strange man approaches asking a woman to go with him, they can be pretty skeptical."

I think it over. Nothing really does ever seem to happen in this community so I doubt they need my nursing skills right now. And I kind of would like to be back out there again. I'm still unsure about these people, still feeling like more of an outsider. So here's my chance to be outside. If this Aaron guy really thinks this is a good idea.... For all I know, people might see me and Daryl and run the other way. But I doubt it. He brought back people to our community when we were all set up at the prison and they adored him for it.

I give Daryl a nod.

He tells Aaron "I got nothing else to do. Thanks."


	46. Chapter Forty-Six

The next day Daryl and I meet up with Carol and Rick back outside that house in the woods. Carol has a bunch of guns she stole.

"Take your pick," Rick tells us.

I glance at Daryl and he frowns. "Look, I've been thinking," he says. "Do we really need these? I mean, things go bad, yeah, sure. We do what we gotta do, but it's like you said. We don't need these for that."

"Right now we don't," Carol replies.

"You wanted me to try, right?" he asks. "I'm good."

"Del?" Rick questions.

I shake my head. "I'm good."

Neither Daryl or I take the guns but Carol and Rick do.

\---

In the morning it's time to head out. Daryl and I are on his new motorcycle and Aaron is in his car behind us. The gates are opened for us and we're off.

It's not until dark that we find signs of anything worth looking at. We're making our way through a field and Daryl shoots a walker with an arrow.

"There's more of them around here than there used to be," Aaron is saying. "Don't know if any people are-"

"Shh!" Daryl cuts him off. "Someone is."

He points to a light shining in the distance. It fades out after a few minutes.

"Let's head that way," Aaron recommends.

We can't find any signs of the mysterious light so we set up camp for the night. I sleep snuggled up to Daryl's side.

In the morning, Daryl wants to hunt some fresh meat to eat so I go with him. He shoots a squirrel with an arrow.

"What do ya' think of all this?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Don't know. It's...weird."

"Yeah," I agree.

But I don't know what else I'd be doing right now except this. If something crazy happens then I'll probably be given my job as a nurse but for now things seem to be going okay in Alexandria. I just hope that Rick doesn't do anything to screw it all up. I haven't found my place yet among the Alexandria members but it doesn't mean they're bad people. I still believe that this could be good for our group.

"If something goes wrong..."

"It won't."

"I mean if something happens where I'm needed as a nurse... I won't be able to be out here with you."

"Yeah..." he looks down at the ground.

I reach for his hand and hold onto it with my own. If he's out here alone I'll worry about him. I'll feel weird without him by my side. I wouldn't have guessed that this is where I'd end up but now I would feel lost without him. I always say that as long as we have each other that's all that matters, we can make it through anything together.

At the same time, I know that if anyone's capable of protecting themselves out here it's him. He's incredibly capable. He's smart about these things.

Daryl meets my gaze so I step closer and kiss him. His arms go around my waist automatically and he kisses me back.

There is nowhere I'd rather be in this whole world than in Daryl Dixon's arms.

"Guys?" Aaron walks over. "Oh, sorry. I was afraid you might have gotten lost out here."

Daryl and I separate awkwardly.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. You two are actually kind of perfect for each other."

"Shut up," I tell him and walk back to our camp.

After breakfast, we continue making our way through the woods. We don't stop until we come across something even weirder than the mysterious light from earlier.

There are a bunch of body parts littered around the ground.

"Whoever did this took what was left with them," Daryl observes. "This just happened."

We walk a little further and find a woman tied up to a tree and she's got her guts all hanging out.

"She's tied up," Aaron decides to point out the obvious. "And they fed on her. Tore her apart. This just happened?"

"Yeah," Daryl and I answer at the same time.

"How the hell did this happen?"

How the hell does he think this happened? We're clearly dealing with some sick freaks out here.

Daryl lifts the woman's head and we can all see a W carved into her forehead. It's just like that dead walker we saw before by that house. It's apparently a calling card of these freaks. This is going to be a big problem at some point.

The woman growls in the way that walkers do and Aaron pulls his gun out but Daryl just stabs her in the head with his knife.

"Let's go," I say, wondering when and where we will run across these freaks and what exactly it will mean when we do.


	47. Forty-Seven

Daryl and I are on his bike. Aaron is following in his car. It's not exactly hot today so Daryl has on his vest over his leather jacket and jeans. I have a hoodie on under my jean jacket, fitted jeans with a hole in the right knee, and boots.

Eventually we come to a stop and head through the woods until we reach a large building surrounded by a metal chain link fence. It's a type of food company that made canned fruits and vegetables. There are some walkers inside the fence moving around slowly.

"We checked the forest, we checked the roads," Aaron says. "We can't find him."

He means the man we saw earlier. We were hoping to talk to him but lost track of him. "Sometimes they slip away. It happens. But... you don't come across something like this every day."

"We do this now, it means we're giving up," Daryl says.

"Home is 50 miles back," Aaron points out. " It's time to go. You saw it last night. There's bad people out here."

"That's why we ought to keep looking for the good ones," Daryl insists.

"We need more people and we'll find them. But when we do, we'll need to feed them."

"Alright," Daryl says. He taps the metal fence with his knife, attracting the walkers to it. We stab them all through the fence. Once they're all gone, Aaron opens the fence and we head inside.

We walk over to the delivery trucks. Aaron starts to steal a license plate reading Alaska. "Wasn't sure I'd ever see one of these," he says.

Daryl and I look around a little, listening to Aaron talk.

"I don't like giving up either, but the guy is in a red poncho. You can see him from a mile away. We've gone a lot of miles here. No sign of him. But... if we come away with a trailer full of cans, I'd say that's a good trip."

"Here we go," Daryl announces, moving to open up the back of one of the food trucks.

I'm expecting cans of food, not a whole trailer full of walkers. They spill out and send the three of us running. We kill some as we run. Daryl dives under a truck, dragging us both along.

There's a walker on the ground and it has the ominous W carved into its forehead.

Who is doing this? It's insane. They can't be good people, that's for sure. And I have a feeling we'll be meeting up sooner rather than later.

We get up and run to take shelter in a car. Daryl and Aaron get into the front and I slide into the backseat. Zombies surround us, trying to get in but failing.

Daryl chuckles suddenly.

"What?" Aaron asks him.

"I came out here to... not feel all closed up back there," he confesses. "Even now, this still feels more like me... than back in them houses. That's pretty messed up, huh?"

It probably is kind of messed up but I understand because I feel that way too most times. I'm never sure I really belong in a place like Alexandria. Most of the time I still feel like a bit of an outsider there. Then again, I feel like an outsider among my own group a lot of times.

"You were trying," Aaron reassures him.

"I had to," Daryl tells him.

"No, you didn't. Listen, I saw you with your group out there on the road. Then you went off on your own by the barn."

He saw that? Oh shit... How much of it did he see exactly? It was such a private moment, a difficult moment. We were both so vulnerable, especially Daryl. I wouldn't want anyone to see something so private like that.

"Del followed you. I don't know what happened there but when the storm hit you led your people to safety. And that was it. I knew I had to bring you people back."

That was it? That's how he decided?

"You were right. We should have kept looking for that guy in the poncho. I shouldn't have given up."

"I'll go," Daryl announces. "I'll lead them out. You and Del make a break for the fence." "No, no, no," Aaron argues. "This was my fault."

"It wasn't a question. And this ain't your decision. It ain't nobody's fault."

"No," I say. "You are not doing this alone. I'll go with you."

"Go with Aaron. I can handle myself."

"Fuck you. I'm going," I insist.

"We fight," Aaron decides. "We go for the fence. We do it together. All right? Whether we make it or not, we do it together. We have to."

Daryl finally gives in. "Alright. We'll go on three. One, two-"

Someone suddenly appears outside the car, killing some of the walkers. The three of us jump out and help the man kill the rest of the walkers. Once we finish we stop to take a breath. The rest of the walkers are all trapped outside the fence, unable to get inside.

"That was...thank you," Aaron says to the man. "I'm Aaron, this is Daryl and that's Delilah."

"Morgan," the man introduces himself.

"Why?" Daryl asks him. Why did he help us? It was dangerous and he didn't have to. He doesn't even know us.

"Why? Because all life is precious, Daryl," Morgan answers.

It's not quite the answer I was expecting but it's a pretty good one.

"Whoever set that trap, they're coming," Aaron tells Morgan. "But I have good news. We have a community not too far from here. Walls, electricity, it's safe. If you'd like to come join us..."

"I thank you. But I'm on my way somewhere," Morgan tells us. "Fact is, I'm lost, so... if you could tell me where we are."

He hands Daryl a map and I look at it with him. There's a message written on it saying 'Sorry I was an asshole. Come to Washington. The new world's gonna need Rick Grimes.'

What the fuck...?

Daryl pulls me and Aaron aside, whispering about how he knows who this is. Rick told him about Morgan.

So we bring him back with us, telling him that we are part of Rick's group and that we can bring him to Rick.

It's dark when we arrive at Alexandria. The community is gathered for a meeting by camp fire to discuss some town matters, mostly what to do with Rick and our group. We arrive just in time to see Rick shooting that woman's abusive husband. Reg is dead on the ground.

"Rick?" Morgan asks.

"Shit..." I mutter.

We get filled on what happened but it's no comfort really. None of this is good news and I don't know what's going to happen now to this place. It doesn't feel very safe at all.


	48. Forty-Eight

A bunch of us are gathered in a quarry together. There are too many walkers to count, all being held back and contained by some big trucks. Rick is addressing our group, giving directions and going over his latest plan.

"This is where it all starts tomorrow," he says. "Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike-"

A huge noise cuts him off. My own eyes go wide as I look at the sight before us. A truck is falling off a ledge. It lands with a crash, taking out several walkers with it. But it leaves an opening for the walkers to escape and cause trouble.

"It's open!" Rick shouts. "We got to do this now! We're doing this now! Tobin's group, get moving, go!"

"No, Rick, we're not ready," Tobin protests.

"Sasha! Abraham! You meet Daryl at red. Let him take them through the gauntlet. Go!"

"Rick, this was supposed to be a dry run," Tobin complains.

"Daryl, get ready," Rick warns, ignoring Tobin.

"They're coming. Rick, we haven't even gone through the whole plan," Tobin continues.

"You want to go back, go back. We're finishing this. Tobin, you hit it on my signal. They're heading for home. We don't have a choice. Get ready to hit the flares. Now!"

We're all in action, killing walkers and hurrying to get our plan in motion. We can't have the walkers get back to our home in Alexandria. We have to stop this.

Everyone is taking off running, shooting flares into the sky as they go. Rick talks to us all on walkie talkies.

"You all have your assignments. You know where to rendezvous. Daryl leads them out. Sasha and Abraham join him at the bottom of the hill. Glenn, you hit us when you take care of the walkers at the tractor place. That's the one thing we gotta get ahead of. Everybody keep your heads. Just keep up."

Sasha and Abraham head into cars. Daryl gets on his bike and I climb on with him. Rick mentioned that he could have used me with him but I wasn't letting Daryl do this without me. If something goes wrong I can't trust Sasha and Abraham to protect him and help him the same way that I could. We're leading tons and tons of walkers behind us and if something goes wrong it won't be good.

When Rick originally brought up this plan in the first place, people were nervous about it. Not everyone was real eager to go with Rick for this task. I'm pretty much the doctor in town now but I decided I was needed here more. I left another woman in charge of the medical stuff just in case but everything seemed to be under control. Besides, sometimes it's nice to get out of Alexandria. It's not that I don't like people, it's just been a little overwhelming adjusting to this new home and these new people. It's a whole different way of life here inside walls, inside this community.

Just when it seems that everything is under control and that the walkers are going the way we are leading them, it all falls apart. The people who feared something would go wrong were right. A horn is going off loudly in the distance, attracting the walkers towards it.

"Rick! What's going on back there?" Daryl asks on the walkie talkie.

"Half of them broke off," Rick informs us. "They're going toward Alexandria."

"Shit..." I mutter.

"We have it. You keep going. Gotta keep the herd moving."

"Not if it's going down, we don't," Daryl says.

"The rest of that herd turns around, the bad back there gets worse."

Daryl doesn't respond, clearly not happy with that plan.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah, I heard you," he grumbles.

We drive in silence for a while.

Then Daryl asks Sasha and Abraham "Hey, we gone five miles out yet?"

"Give or take some yardage. You got a reason for asking?"

"Next intersection we're gonna spin around and go back," Daryl suggests.

"The plan is to go 15 more. The magic number's 20. That's the mission. That's making sure they're off munching on infirm raccoons the rest of their undead lives instead of any of us."

"You want to go, we can't stop you," Sasha says. "But without you, they could stop us."

"Nah, I got faith in you," Daryl tells her and then he takes off, breaking away from them and heading towards Alexandria.

He asks me along the way "You okay with this?"

"Yeah," I assure him. I'm pretty sure he knew I would be. "Would ya' still be goin' if I wasn't?"

He hesitates a moment then admits "No."

"This is right," I tell him. "You're doin' the right thing."

I'm proud of him for standing up to Rick. This isn't the first time recently that he has done this. A while ago Rick was talking to us and he said that we shouldn't go looking for other survivors to bring back to Alexandria anymore. He said they should all just take care of themselves and that we would focus on taking care of ourselves. He asked Daryl if he felt different about it and Daryl stated that he does feel different about it. I agreed with him. Rick gave me a disapproving scowl but honestly I couldn't care less.

'I know Rick's your friend and he's tryin' to do the right thing but he's wrong,' I told Daryl that day.

I've never been too fond of Rick. I'm not entirely surprised this is happening now. All he really cares about is himself. He's going crazy. He can't be trusted. He thinks he's doing what's right but he isn't. He's mad with power. And he's losing compassion and understanding. This is how people become like The Governor.  
We can't lose our humanity. We can't let the horror in the world defeat us. We have to keep helping other survivors. There aren't many of us left. And if we stop caring about that, then the walkers win.

"The herd has to be almost here," Rick comes through on the walkie talkie.

Rick has made a run back to the RV by himself in order to get in front of the herd and lead them back away from Alexandria.

All that we can hear next from him is static and there's the alarming sound of gunshots.

"Rick?" Daryl asks.

There's no answer.

Daryl curses. "We gotta' go back."

This is fucked up. But he's right. We have to go back to deal with herd for Rick. I'm going to have to try to trust that our people in Alexandria can hold themselves together for a while until we can get back to them. This is a nightmare.


	49. Chapter Forty-Nine

Shots ring out, sending Daryl and I flying off of his motorcycle and onto the streets. Sasha and Abraham jump out of the car and pull their guns out, shooting back at our attackers. Daryl grabs my hand and pulls me with him back onto his bike and we take off, somehow managing to escape without being shot. We don't stop until we're in the woods.

Daryl and I collapse on the ground, catching our breath and composing ourselves. My heart beat slows back to normal. The woods all around us have been burned and there are the burned remains of walkers that are barely moving, too charred to stand. We can't stay here. We have to keep moving. We have to get back to Abraham and Sasha and hope that they are okay.

I help Daryl push the motorcycle through the woods for a while. We try the walkie talkie but no one answers. "You're bleeding," I notice.

"Yeah," he says.

"Let me look at it."

We set the bike down and he takes off his jacket so that I can see his wound. I escaped the fall off the motorcycle with only minor bruises and scrapes. Daryl has a bad cut though and its bleeding pretty badly. Before I can tend to his wound, we hear the sound of people coming towards us. He hides his bike with a bush and holds his crossbow out. I pull my gun.

Two women, one with short hair and one with long hair, are holding up their hands in surrender. Neither Daryl or I have time to react before a guy comes over and knocks us out. I catch him knocking Daryl out and try to push him away from me but it's too late.  
\---

When I wake up it's dark and there's a camp fire in front of me. My wrists are tied and when I look for Daryl I find him to be in the same position. Shit. What the hell is going on here?

The pain in my head from where I got hit is intense. I feel dizzy and sick. The man is saying something to us but I barely hear him.

"You don't say shit and I don't kill you," he threatens, pointing a gun at us.

"We ain't who ya think," Daryl tries to tell the man.

"Say something else. Go ahead!" he snaps.

Daryl remains silent as we get hauled to our feet and forced to walk with our captors through the woods. I stumble at several points, almost falling on my face but the man reaches out to steady me every so often.

After a few moments, the man offers Daryl and I a sip of water. "We don't need you two falling down," he says. Daryl and I both take a few sips from the water bottle then continue on.

I don't pay much attention to the chatter of our captors but Daryl seems to. I'm still quite dizzy and wishing I had access to some pain killers.

"You did all this?" I hear Daryl ask them.

They admit that they did. They set a fire here in the woods that burned everything to a crisp back in the beginning when the outbreak first began.

"We thought everyone was fighting them wherever they were. Yeah, we thought that was what everybody was doing. Fighting it. That we'd all win together. We were stupid."

"Y'all don't think you're being stupid right now?" Daryl questions.

The man points his gun at Daryl again and it nearly gives me a heart attack. I don't think that this guy wants to kill us but you can never be sure. He does seem pretty confused and kind of crazy.

"Are you saying I should kill you?" the man demands. "I mean it, are you gonna try and pull something on us? Are we just being thick here by not removing all doubt? Right now, by me not pulling this trigger, is that a mistake? I'm serious. I really wanna know. You made a choice to kill for someone else, to have them own you for a roof over your head and three squares, so maybe I'm not considering all aspects here. You tell me, am I being stupid?"

This is insane. Who does this guy think we are?

"No," Daryl answers. Then he adds "Look, I got somewhere to be. We can make a deal. I can help you out."

"You're one of them," the man insists. "You're hurt and you're alone and you'd say anything. We should've never trusted you people to begin with. Go on. Keep moving."

We walk until we reach a fuel company with a chain link fence around it. There are a lot of walkers wandering around inside. Our captors say something about someone called Patty probably being dead and are upset about this. 

My stomach feels like it is doing somersaults as I listen to them talk. And then I lean forward and try to hold my arms up out of the way as I get sick.

"What the hell?" the man says.

"Del?" Daryl asks, coming closer and gazing at me questioningly. There's not much he can do for me with his hands literally tied as well.

"What's wrong with her?" the man demands.

"What the fuck did you do to my wife?" Daryl shouts back at him.

"I didn't-"

"Think I have a concussion," I say. "I'm a nurse."

The man seems even more confused now but before either Daryl or I can say anything else, the girl with the short hair passes out.

Daryl acts fast, grabbing the bag our captors were carrying and giving me a shove towards the woods.

I do my best to keep up with him knowing this is our chance to escape these crazy people.

Eventually we stop and he manages to get his hands free then cuts the rope around my hands too.

I reach up and touch my head lightly, finding it damp with blood. It hurts worse to touch it and I wince.

Daryl curses, digging his crossbow out in just enough time to shoot a walker coming towards us.

He hands me my gun and takes a look at my head.

"I'm gonna' be okay," I promise him. "It's a concussion. It'll take more than that to kill me."

He nods quickly and starts going through the bag we stole. He pauses when he finds a cooler labeled 'insulin.' We both realize what this must mean. The girl with the short hair that passed out must be diabetic.

"We gotta' bring it back," Daryl says.

"Alright."

I won't argue. Neither Daryl or I want to be the bad guys.

He holds his crossbow out and I hold my gun. He tells the man to drop his gun. Once he does, Daryl takes a little carved figure of wood from the man in turn for the bag we return to them. It seems to be all they really have to offer us in exchange.

"Good luck. You're gonna' need it," Daryl says then we start to walk away together.

A truck suddenly pulling up nearby stops us. We hide behind some trees and watch as a group steps out of the truck and starts harassing our captors. These must be the people that our captors were afraid of and assumed we were part of.

Before I know what's happening, Daryl grabs the short haired girl and runs with our captors through the woods. I run along with him.

Finally we come to a stop long enough for the long haired girl to give her friend or whatever the insulin she needed.

We hide as one of the men from the truck walks near us. Before he can see us, he is bit in the arm by a walker. The first thought that goes through my head is that he better chop it off or he's doomed. He seems to be thinking the same thing though. He shouts to his friend that he's bit and demands "Take it off!"

His friend does as requested, quickly and efficiently chopping of the man's arm. Then they leave together.

We all begin walking through the woods again. The man asks Daryl why he's helping them after what they did to us. 

"Maybe I'm stupid too," Daryl answers, shrugging.

I admire this about Daryl. He's not the most affectionate person. He's an outsider among most groups. But he has a good heart despite all of that and everything that he's been through. He has a desire to help others and this is something we both share.

We stop when we reach the ruins of an old greenhouse. There are two dead bodies on the ground inside of it with plastic melted over them. They clearly died during the fire. One of the girls cries that they used to babysit these people and then they both sob knowing that it was the fire they set that caused these people's death.

The short haired diabetic girl stumbles over to them and that's when the bodies seem to awaken, hungry for their meal. The walkers bite the girl before any of us can do anything to prevent it.  
\---

Daryl and I help dig graves for the two people who died in the greenhouse along with the short haired girl.

"Hey, how many walkers you killed?" Daryl questions the man.

"A lot. A couple dozen at least."

"How many people you killed?"

"None."

"Why?"

These are the questions Rick used to ask people when we'd come across survivors. They make sense.

"Why haven't I killed anybody? Because if I did there'd be no going back."

I can tell that he's telling the truth and I think my evaluation that he doesn't really want to kill us is true. Of course that doesn't mean he can be trusted though.  
\---

As we walk, the man suddenly pulls a gun and points it at us. He tells Daryl to hand over his crossbow and for me to hand over my gun.

We don't have a choice. We hand over our weapons. The man and the long haired woman get on the motorcycle. She throws gauze at us and says "Patch yourself up." Then they leave.

Daryl curses and kicks a rock.

"Let me patch you up," I say. Might as well.

He's wearing pants, boots, a sleeveless black button down shirt, and his vest. His arms are bare and dirty. I clean the blood off the best that I can and wrap the wound in gauze.

I can't believe the fuckers did this to us after we tried to help them. They took Daryl's crossbow which almost seems like a part of him now. They took the motorcycle Daryl and I worked together to repair. They left us stranded here. I have my dagger at least but I wish I had my gun as well.

Daryl and I walk together a little. "You called me your wife," I say to him.

"Yeah," he says, shrugging.

"Do ya think of me as your wife or were ya tryin to pull one over on the guy?"

He shrugs again.

"Okay," I tell him.

It's not a comfortable conversation for either one of us. We don't discuss our feelings much. For the most part we don't need to either. We usually can tell without words.

I think that I know how he feels about me without having to ask and I feel the same way about him. Marriage has never been something I dreamed of in my life. Without a ring or a ceremony it doesn't make Daryl and I any less committed to each other. We don't have to say it. I can't picture myself with anyone else and I know without a doubt that he feels the same. We promise to each other all of the time that as long as we have each other then we can get through anything.

It's not long before we come across a fuel truck. Daryl opens the door and stabs the walker trapped inside it. Then we climb in together and go retrieve Sasha and Abraham. We all sit together and hit the road. Daryl tries the walkie talkie again. A voice comes through this time but it's hard to make out the words.

"Say it again?" Daryl asks.

"Help!" Rick says through the walkie talkie.

This is not good at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is still reading this let me know otherwise I'm going to just stop writing it


	50. Fifty

Something is going on at home in Alexandria but we don't know what it is. We are on our way there and everything is smooth sailing until we run into a motorcycle gang of sorts. We have no choice but to stop and they all have their guns pointed at us. They demand that we hand over our weapons and everything. "Your property now belongs to Negan," the leader announces.

I have no idea who the hell these people think they are or who the fuck Negan supposedly is. This is ridiculous.

We reluctantly hand over our guns seeing as we have no other options. But the man wants more. "There's always more," he insists. He turns to one of his men and directs "Take my man to the back of the truck, work your way to the front."

A man walks with Daryl to the back of the truck where I can no longer see him. It makes my heart beat a little faster with worry. But I trust him. I know that he's perfectly capable of handling himself. He'll be okay. We just need to figure a way out of this. We always do.

"Who's Negan?" Abraham asks.

"I told you not to ask questions," the man scolds. He points his gun at Abraham.

"Wait!" Sasha shouts. "You don't have to do this!"

The man laughs. "I'm not gonna' kill ya. Wait...."

I instinctively take a step away from Sasha and Abraham. I don't want to see them die but I'm not looking to join them either when they are clearly about to be shot.

"You know what," the man continues. "Yes I am."

He doesn't get the chance to shoot them. Daryl has found an RPG gun, a rocket launcher basically, and fires it at the men blowing them away in a fiery explosion. We all hit the ground until it's clear then stand up to face Daryl.

"Did he cut you?" Sasha asks him.

"A little," he admits. He turns some and I can see the wound on his back bleeding.

"I've got it," I say. I go find the last bit of gauze we have on hand and use it to patch him up the best that I can, applying pressure to slow the bleeding. "Thanks for savin' us," I tell him. "It was pretty badass."

He chuckles, wincing a little due to the pain.

"I'll fix that up better once we get home."

He nods then starts the truck up again and we all head home once more.

\---

When we arrive at Alexandria we find Glenn and a teenage girl from Alexandria called Enid. We can't get into Alexandria very far because it is completely overrun with walkers. The sight makes my stomach sink.

We can do this. We'll find a way like we always do. We're strong. We're survivors. We'll keep on surviving.

"What the hell happened?" Daryl asks him.

"I don't know," Glenn admits. "I just got back. Listen, we can lead some of them away."

"No, we get 'em all together," Daryl replies. "Won't have to lead 'em away."

And just like that Daryl is saving the day again. He comes up with another brilliant plan and is as amazing as ever. My husband is a badass.

We back the truck up and pour all the fuel out into a lake. We all squish into the truck while Daryl climbs on top of it. He uses the RPG gun to light it up on fire. The flames attract many of the walkers while our people kill off the rest of them in the town.

I get out of the tuck and climb on top to Daryl. I go and place my arms around him. "Good job," I tell him simply.

When we can get through to the infirmary we do. Denise, a woman with some medical training and a psychology degree, is helping out as well with injuries. Carl has been injured badly but is resting now. She tells me he lost an eye but she was able to save him.

"You did good," I tell her, smiling a little.

She smiles back at me. "Thank you."

I'm so proud of these people and all that they've done tonight. They were all so sheltered. They didn't know much about surviving. But they've proven that they keep up with us when it's time.

Deaths are reported to me. I hear about what needs to be repaired. Rick is off with Carl. I patch up Daryl's wound then tend to whoever else needs help.

When I'm finished I'm exhausted. I crawl into bed and hold onto Daryl as I drift asleep.  
\---

Daryl and Rick are going off together to find supplies. Things are being repaired around Alexandria. The atmosphere is positive and filled with hope. We won and took back our home.

I wish that I could be going with Daryl but I know that I can't. My job is in the community. This is my home now. It's time to settle in to a somewhat regular life again. I need to let in the people of Alexandria and open up to them. I need to do my job here taking care of everyone. I always wanted to be a good nurse and help people and now this is my chance. I can have a real life here.

I give Daryl a strong hug and a kiss before he leaves then get to work. I help anyone who needs it, talk to people around the community, and teach Denise the things I've learned medically while being out in the world before coming here. I'm not sure how I really feel about her but she seems nice enough at least.

I don't worry about Daryl while he is gone. I just focus on my own stuff. Daryl and Rick are more than capable of taking care of themselves and each other should they run into any trouble out there. It's actually probably a good thing for them to be out there together again spending time with each other. I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of Rick but he's Daryl's friend and the leader here. The friendship between Rick and Daryl was quite strained for a while but Rick seems to have changed his mind about things. He seems to realize now that it's still important to look for survivors to take in to our group and that these people matter.

I'm still full of relief and excitement when Daryl finally does return. I give him a hug then stand back to see what's happening. The supplies they managed to find didn't make it back with them. I hear the story about a man stealing the truck and how it ended up in the water sinking with all of the supplies.

The supplies didn't make it back but the man did. He is tied up and unconscious and put into an empty room. Daryl is taking the first watch over him and eventually another guy will take over so that Daryl can sleep.

I sit beside Daryl, bringing him food, and we lean back against a wall as we eat. He tells me that this man calls himself 'Jesus' and confesses that he was unsure about bringing him back here. He says it was Rick who decided to bring him here.

Daryl is the best judge of character in people that I know. I trust his opinion. Besides, so far the man doesn't sound very impressive to me either. Calling himself 'Jesus' is just strange and the fact that he attempted to steal all of our supplies and everything doesn't impress me very much. I tell him about my day too. I move in closer to lean against him and relax until the next guy comes to stand watch.


	51. Fifty One

There's a commotion going on. Daryl and I went to bed, letting someone else watch over the man called Jesus. Apparently they didn't watch him very well because here he is standing in Rick's house at the top of the stairs. Rick and Michonne and Carl are standing there with him. Rick is shirtless. Daryl, Abraham, Glenn, Maggie, and I stand on the stairs with our weapons drawn.

"I checked out your arsenal," Jesus is saying. "I haven't seen anything like that in a long time. You're well-equipped, but your provisions are low. Very low for the amount of people you have. 54?"

"More than that," Maggie tells him.

"Well, I appreciate the cookie. My compliments to the chef."

"She ain't here," Daryl says.

"Look, we got off to a bad start. But we're on the same side- the living side. You and Rick had every reason to leave me out there, but you didn't. I'm from a place that's a lot like this one. Part of my job is searching out other settlements to trade with. I took your truck because my community needs things, and both of you looked like trouble. I was wrong. You're good people. And this is a good place. I think our communities may be in a position to help each other."

"Do you have food?" Rick questions him.

"We've started to raise livestock. We scavenge, we grow."

"Tell us why we should believe you."

"I'll show you. If we take a car, I can take you back home in a day, and you can all see for yourselves who we are and what we have to offer."

"Wait, you're looking for more settlements," Maggie interrupts. "You mean you're already trading with other groups?"

Jesus smiles at us. "Your world's about to get a whole lot bigger."  
\---

Daryl is making some adjustments to the RV as I watch. Denise walks over and hands Daryl something.

"Homemade oat cake," she announces. "Complex carbohydrates, omega-3s."

"Nah, I'm good," he says, shaking his head."We're gonna make a pit stop. I'll pick up somethin then."

"Like rabies?"

"Is this 'cause I tried to get you that stuff?"

"Yeah. And you remind me of someone I used to know."

"Well... I hope it tastes better than it looks. 'Cause it looks like shit."

"Shit's still better than roadkill. Okay, maybe- just eat it."

"Thanks," I tell Denise, trying to give her a friendly and appreciative smile.

She smiles back at me.

I get into the RV with Daryl. Abraham, Glenn, Maggie, Rick, Michonne, and Jesus are already sitting inside waiting for us. I can't help but notice Rick and Michonne holding hands. It's pretty clear that they're hooking up now. Honestly I'm only surprised that it hadn't happened sooner. I think they make a good pair.

I can hear Abraham harassing Glenn about choosing to have a baby in the apocalypse. I keep my opinion to myself. It's none of my business. Besides, I suppose someone has to reproduce or how else would the world go on?

The RV comes to a sudden stop and Daryl asks "Rick, what's goin' on?"

"We got a crash ahead. Looks like it just happened."

"It's one of ours," Jesus says.

We get out to see the vehicle that crashed and the walkers around it.

"If this is a trick, it won't end well for you," Rick warns Jesus.

"My people are in trouble."

We agree to go look for them in a nearby building that Jesus insists must be where his people are hiding. Rick makes him wait outside with Maggie while we go in.

We go around with our weapons out, killing walkers along the way. We grab the survivors, telling them that we're with Jesus.

We get them onto the RV and move along. One man who introduces himself as Harlan tells us he is a doctor, used to be an obstetrician. This pleases Glenn and Maggie because he promises that he has access to prenatal vitamins.

Once again our RV comes to an abrupt stop when we become stuck in mud. "We're stuck," Rick says.

"No worries," Jesus assures him. "We're here. That's us. That's the Hilltop."

We all get out and look at the wall. There's a man with a gun at the top telling us to stop.

"You gonna' make us?" Daryl asks. We all have our weapons drawn.

It's back and forth then between our people and theirs. They insist we lower our weapons and we're insisting to speak to their leader. Jesus tries to get them to open the gate but finally he tells us that we have to trust him. We lower our weapons so then Jesus says "Open the gates, Cal." And they let us in.

It almost looks like a pioneer settlement. There's a big colonial mansion looking thing in the center, not much electricity or modern appliances, a lot of gardens and chickens and trailers.

"There was a materials yard for a power company nearby. That's how we put up the walls," Jesus explains. "A lot of people came from a FEMA camp. Trailers came with them."

"How did people find out about this place?" Michonne asks.

"That's called Barrington House. The family that owned it gave it to the state in the '30s. The state turned it into a living history museum. Every elementary school for 50 miles used to come here for field trips. The place was running a long time before the modern world built up around it. I think people came here because they figured it'd keep running after the modern world broke down. Those windows up there let us see for miles in every direction. It's perfect for security. Come on. I'll show you inside."

We walk inside and look around a little. Jesus continues explaining everything.

"Most of the rooms have been converted to living spaces. Even the ones that weren't bedrooms."

"People live here and the trailers?" Rick asks.

"We plan to build. There's babies being born."

A man walks over and says "Jesus. You're back. With guests."

"Everyone, this is Gregory. He keeps the trains running on time around here."

Gregory must be the leader here. I wondered what he would be like. I didn't imagine he would be arguing with us insisting we go wash up but he is. What a weirdo...

We take turns washing up. At one point Daryl, Abraham, and I are waiting in a room together.

"How long do you think Rick and Michonne been..." Abraham asks.

"I don't know," Daryl answers.

I shrug.

He opens his mouth to say something else but I cut him off, pulling Daryl into my arms to whisper to him.

Abraham makes a face at us, thinking he's seeing us being intimate.

"I don't trust this Gregory guy. He's fuckin' weird," I whisper so that Abraham can't hear.

"Yeah," Daryl agrees simply.

We all gather to talk to Jesus without Gregory.

"We need food," Rick tells him. "We came all this way. We're gonna' get it."

While we are trying to negotiate with him, someone interrupts. Everyone is rushing outside so we go too.

There are two men and a woman returning through the gate. It quickly takes a turn for the worst. "They still have Craig. They said they'd keep him alive, return him to us, if I deliver a message to you," one of the men is saying. The message turns out to be stabbing Gregory.

Rick instantly goes into action, throwing himself at the man. We all end up in a fight. Abraham is being strangled but Daryl saves him. I'm busy fending off my own attacker. Rick stabs the original guy in the neck and blood sprays everywhere. The woman punches Rick but Michonne comes to his rescue and hits the woman.

Rick pulls his gun but everything stops.

Maggie and the doctor Harlan Carson are standing over Gregory. I move in to help and we move him inside. He's still alive and we're able to patch him up for the most part. He's going to have to stay in bed and rest for a while though.

"My name's Delilah Dixon," I tell doctor Carson. "Everyone just calls me Del. My husband is Daryl."

Maggie smiles, hearing me introduce myself as Daryl's wife.

"I was a nurse before all of this, hoped to be a doctor someday. Maggie's father taught me a lot and a few others along the way. I've taught myself some too, learned a lot bein' out there."

"She's a great doctor," Maggie tells him.

The compliment makes me smile a little.

Doctor Carson grins at me. "Well then Del, it's a pleasure to meet you. There aren't enough of us doctors to go around. I look forward to working with you."

I go find our group and listen to the conversation that Jesus is having with them.

"Negan's the head of a group of people he calls the Saviors. As soon as the walls were built, the Saviors showed up. They met with Gregory on behalf of their boss. They made a lot of demands, even more threats. And he killed one of us- Rory. He was 16 years old. They beat him to death right in front of us. Said we needed to understand, right off the bat. Gregory's not exactly good at confrontation. He's not the leader I would've chosen, but he helped make this place what it is, and the people like him. He made the deal. Half of everything. Our supplies, our crops, our livestock, it goes to the Saviors. And what do you get in return? They don't attack this place. They don't kill us. Most of the people here don't even know how to fight, even if we had ammo. We've seen groups as big as 20."

"These dicks just got a good story," Daryl says. "The bogeyman, he ain't shit. "

"A month ago, we took his guys out PDQ. Left them in pieces and puddles. You know, we'll do it. If we go get your man back, kill Negan, take out his boys, will you hook us up?" 

"We want food, medicine, and one of them cows."

"Confrontation's never been something we've had trouble with," Rick assures him.

"I'll take it to Gregory."

He goes to talk to Gregory. Rick talks to us about the deal.

"They have food, we don't. We don't have enough of anything. Except us. What we can do. This is the trade."

Once the trade is handled, we all go load supplies into the RV. I go with Doctor Carson to help do an ultrasound on Maggie.

"Have you ever done this before?" he asks me.

I shake my head.

"She's delivered babies before," Maggie tells him. "She's great at it."

He smiles and walks me through what he's doing. We hear the heartbeat and see the tiny baby. It doesn't look too much like a baby yet but it is. It's a brand new life, a person. It's alive. It's hope.

Maggie and Glenn are so happy. I can't help but smile too.

Though a baby presents risks to our group, everyone smiles as the ultrasound picture is passed around the RV, even Abraham.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have idea where I could take this story a little more off the track of the television show while still keeping it based along the same timeline of what is happening but I wanted to know if you guys would like that or not. Do you like it being so close to the show or would you like for it to break a little more from the show at times? Let me know in the comments.


	52. Chapter Fifty-Two

We gather around as Rick gives a speech. Daryl is sitting on top of an SUV smoking. I lean against the SUV as I listen.

“We can work with the Hilltop,” Rick says. “Maggie hammered out a deal. We're getting food- eggs, butter, fresh vegetables. But they're not just giving it away. These Saviors, they almost killed our people on the road. Now, sooner or later, they would've found us, just like those Wolves did, just like Jesus did. They woulda killed someone or some of us. And then they would try to own us. And we would try to stop them. But by then, in that kind of fight, low on food, we could lose. This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get, that we win. And we have to win. We do this for the Hilltop, it's how we keep this place. It's how we feed this place. This needs to be a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your piece. We try and talk to the Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety. No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive. Where there's life, there's possibility. Of them hitting us.”

We form a plan. We need to get inside their armory. We’re going to show up at night while most of them will be sleeping, a couple hours before dawn when the guards are tired. 

Andy from hillside brings a head to them that’s supposed to be Gregory’s like they wanted. It looks similar enough to him that the two guards accept it. We’re all waiting in the dark.

One guard goes inside and Daryl runs up to slit the other’s throat. We get inside the building, weapons drawn, and Rick whispers directions to us.

Tara, Father Gabriel, Jesus, and Eddie from hillside are together in a car outside. Maggie and Carol are also outside near the RV.

Everything’s so very quiet as we move along silently, murdering men in their sleep. We have to stay quiet so that we don’t get caught. It’s intense.

But suddenly a noise cuts through the silence. An alarm. Someone pulled an alarm. We start running, shooting enemies as we go. Our group gets split up in different directions. Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and I go together.  
\---

Daylight comes and we are gathered outside together. The sound of a motorcycle makes us all turn. I recognize the bike immediately as Daryl’s. Shots are fired at him. He’s still alive though as Daryl grabs him, demanding where he got the bike from.

A female voice abruptly comes through the man’s walkie talkie, ordering us to lower our weapons and saying they have Carol and Maggie.  
\---

We find out that Carol and Maggie are being held captive in a former slaughterhouse. The saviors have built up supplies there guarded by trapped walkers. By the time we get there Carol and Maggie have killed their captors along with a bunch of the walkers. Glenn embraces his wife and Daryl hugs Carol.

I watch, never quite sure how to feel when Daryl shows such affection to Carol. It’s not that I’m jealous or that I think something is going on between them. And I see that she is probably in need of some comfort after whatever ordeal she just went through while being held captive. Daryl has been friends with her a long time. She’s part of our group. But I don’t really like Carol. Her morals are too gray and I don’t approve of her choices most of the time. I’ve never really liked Carol.  
\---

We’re at home in Alexandria once again. Daryl and I are working on his bike together when Carol approaches. “Got your bike back,” she says.

We sit together on the sidewalk. “Yeah,” Daryl answers. We both light up some cigarettes. 

“Those people you met,” she says. “The ones in the burnt forest… they took it from you?”

“Yeah,” he says.

“You saved them, right?”

He doesn’t answer but the answer is clear.

“It’s who you are,” she tells him. And it’s true. There’s a difference between us and Carol.

“I should’ve killed ‘em,” he says bitterly, but Carol and I both know what he really means.

She starts walking away but he stops her.

“The ones that took you and Maggie... what'd they do to ya?” he asks her.

“To us?” she replies. “They didn't do anything.”

What the fuck is with her?

We finish up what we are doing with the motorcycle only to be stopped by Denise and Rosita. Denise is saying she wants to go to a type of pharmacy to search for medications and she wants us to go with her. “Edison's Apothecary and Boutique,” she says. “It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs.”

“How do you know they still got 'em?” Daryl questions her.

“It isn't that far. I just wanna check. And Del’s the only other one who would know the medicines. And Daryl, you and Rosita aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts.”

Daryl and Rosita suggest that we go alone without her.

She argues. “I wanted to check. I just wanted to help.”

“How much time you spend out there?” Daryl asks.

“None,” she answers.

“Forget it,” Daryl tells her.

“I can ID the meds. I know how to use a machete now. I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready.”

“You good with this?” Daryl asks Rosita and me.

“No,” we both answer.

“Stay here,” I try to tell Denise. “We’ll go. I’m capable of getting’ the meds. I been out there. We’ve got it. You stay in case anyone needs medical help while we’re gone.”

“I'll go alone, if I have to,” she insists.

“You'll die alone,” Daryl warns her.

“I'm asking you to make sure I don't.”

Rosita sighs. “I'm not babysitting her by myself.”

We get ready and head out together despite our protests against Denise. Daryl drives the truck and I sit beside him, Rosita beside me then Denise next to her. The gears of the truck make a weird grinding sound.

“I think maybe you're disengaging it too soon,” Denise tells Daryl. 

“What?” he asks.

“I've been driving stick since I was 15, usually beat-up trucks like this. I mean, before- you know, before I left home. My brother taught me, so I just know.”

We drive until a tree down in the road forces us to stop and walk.

“Looks like a straight shot if we follow the tracks,” Denise suggests, looking at the train tracks in front of us.

“I ain’t takin’ no tracks,” Daryl tells her and begins to walk off.

We go with him and eventually arrive at the place. Daryl pries the doors open with a crowbar. Daryl, Rosita, and I hold our guns along with flashlights at the ready.

Denise makes a gagging noise upon entering.

“We gonna find out what you had for breakfast?” Daryl asks her.

I make a face.

“Oatmeal,” she says. “Just so you know.”

We go into the pharmacy area where Rosita, Daryl, and I climb across the counter to grab the meds.

“I can help suggest which ones,” Denise offers.

“No, we’re gonna’ take it all,” Daryl tells her.

We throw all the meds we can grab into our backpacks. Denise wanders around, gets startled by something, jumping and knocking down some stuff in the store. We turn to look at her questioningly.

“What the hell are you doing?” Rosita demands.

“Nothing,” she responds before heading outside to wait for us to finish.

We finish and head outside to her. Daryl tells her “Ya did good findin’ this place.”

“Tried to tell you you weren’t ready,” Rosita says to her.

She nods. “I know.”

We start walking together, heading back the way we came. She is holding a keychain saying Dennis on it that she took from the gift shop. It’s easy to assume that must be the name of the brother she mentioned earlier.

“Was he older or younger?” Daryl asks her.

“Older,” she answers. “By six minutes. My parents came up with the Dennis/Denise thing on one of their benders. Hilarious, right? Nothing scared him. He was brave. He was angry, too. It's kind of a dangerous combination.”

“Sounds like we had the same brother,” he tells her.

This makes me chuckle a little, thinking of Merle. He wasn’t the greatest person on the planet but he was family.

We arrive at the train tracks once more.

“This way’s faster, right?” Daryl asks Denise.

So we walk along the tracks together until Denise stops us. We can see that there’s a broken down car with a walker inside. “There's a cooler in there!” she exclaims. “Might be something we can use inside.”

“We got what we came for,” Rosita tells her.

“Nah, ain't worth the trouble, come on,” Daryl says.

I nod in agreement.

We start to walk on but Denise goes to the car and opens it. The walker inside lurches out and is suddenly on top of her on the ground. We rush in but she shouts “No, don’t!”

She kills it with a knife. It’s almost impressive until she stands up and pukes.

I gag in response. Usually the sight of vomit doesn’t bother me but I think I’m getting sick with a virus or something. I haven’t been feeling too well lately but nothing I can’t handle. I can still handle the sight of dead walkers. There’s just something about Denise that sometimes sets me off. She annoys me. She’s not a bad person and she tries to be helpful. Her help can be useful in Alexandria when I need someone else to cover medically. I don’t think that she’s as capable with her medical skills as me but she’s good enough to cover for me when I need to leave Alexandria. But other times her trying to help just causes more of a hassle.

I’m apparently not the only one annoyed with Denise.

“Oh man, I threw up on my glasses,” she complains.

“What the hell was that?” Daryl demands. “You could’ve died right there, ya know that?”

“Yeah, I do,” she says.

“Are you hearin me?” he asks her.

I glare at her.

“Who gives a shit?” she replies. “You could've died killing those Saviors, all three of you, but you didn't. You wanna live, you take chances. That's how it works. That's what I did.” 

“For a couple of damn sodas?”

“Nope, just this one,” she says, holding up a soda.

“Are you seriously that stupid?” Rosita asks her.

“Are you?” she replies. “I mean it. Are you? Do you have any clue what that was to me, what this whole thing is to me? See, I have training in this shit. I'm not making it up as I go along, like with the stitches and the surgery. I asked you to come with me because you're brave like my brother and sometimes you actually make me feel safe,” she says to Daryl.

To me she adds “I wanted you to come because you’re a really talented doctor, better than I’ll ever be, and a total badass. You don’t fit in easy or make friends easy but that’s okay because when you do let people in it’s worth it and you’d die for them.”

That makes me feel kind of shitty for being so annoyed with her all of the time.

To Rosita she says “And I wanted you here because you're alone. Probably for the first time in your life. And because you're stronger than you think you are, which gives me hope that maybe I can be, too. I could've gone with Tara. I could've told her I loved her, but I didn't because I was afraid. That's what's stupid. Not coming out here, not facing my shit. And it makes me sick that you guys aren't even trying because you're strong and you're smart and the three of you are really good people, and if you don't wake up and face your-“

She never finishes her thought because an arrow suddenly flies out of nowhere and goes right through her eye. It goes completely through her head, killing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updates. My computer was broken.
> 
> If you didn't leave a comment letting me know what direction you want this story to go in please do so. I've been thinking of been adding in some more storyline that isn't just what is happening on the show. I would combine my own storyline with the show so it would still generally follow the show storyline but with some more added stuff. If there's any storylines you would like to see or anything you'd suggest I do different with this story that you'd like to see then let me know and I'll take it into consideration.


	53. Fifty-Three

Dwight, the fucker who stole Daryl’s motorcycle, steps out from the woods with some of his men- and one of ours. They are holding Eugene hostage. Shit…

It all happened so fast that I don’t really have to take a moment to process it. My automatic reaction is to pull my gun out but I have to lower it because of Eugene. I don’t have time to think about Denise. I can’t. All of my focus has to be on the situation at hand otherwise more of us might die.

The sick motherfucker is standing in front of us holding Daryl’s crossbow and I want to kill him. Apparently so does Daryl because he says “I should’ve done it.”

“What’s that?” Dwight demands.

“I should’ve killed you.”

“Yeah, you probably should have,” he agrees. “I mean, you’ll have to take my word for this but she wasn’t even the one I was aiming for.”

I really want to kill him. Please can I kill him now?

“What do you want?” Rosita asks him.

“You three are going to let us into your little complex. You’re going to let us take whatever and whoever we want. Or we blow all of your heads off. I hope it doesn’t come to that, really. Nobody else has to die. What’s it gonna be? You tell me.”

“You wanna kill someone you start with our companion hiding over there,” Eugene says. Is one of us actually hiding nearby? Abraham? Why would Eugene be telling them to kill one of our own?

Dwight tells his men to check it out. They walk away to investigate and then everything is moving fast again. Eugene shocks the hell out of me by biting Dwight in the crotch. And then everyone’s launching into action.

Daryl, Rosita, and I end up finding cover behind a car as we shoot back at the men shooting at us. At least until the noise draws unwanted attention.

Walkers come stumbling out of the woods, sending Dwight and his men running. Daryl picks up his crossbow where Dwight dropped it, and starts to chase after Dwight. I run after him and throw my arms around him. “Stop!” I demand.

He settles down some and I go to Eugene. It was in fact Abraham who was hiding nearby and he is standing over Eugene now. Eugene is injured.

“Keep this pressed against his wound, nice and tight. Put pressure on it,” I instruct Abraham, bunching up a piece of ripped cloth. 

He helps Eugene walk and keep pressure on his wound.

Daryl, Rosita, and I go to Denise’s body. I’m hit with a wave of nausea again but I bite my lip and let it pass.

Denise… This is fucked up. I didn’t want her to come with us and now look what happened. She’s gone. I should’ve been a little nicer to her. It’s too late for that. And now I lost my only medical assistant in town. Shit.  
\---

The bullet just grazed Eugene luckily. I patch him up, focusing on that rather than what happened with Denise. At least the antibiotics we got on the trip will come in handy for preventing any infection for Eugene’s wound.

Afterwards I go help Daryl dig a grave for Denise. We share some alcohol and a couple of cigarettes. Then we share a warm shower, just holding each other tightly to comfort one another. I fall asleep in his arms.

When I wake up, I get dressed and find some fruit- bringing it back for Daryl and me for breakfast. I find him awake, sitting up in bed, holding the keychain Denise got saying Dennis. I set the plate of fruit down and go hug him. I kiss his cheek. 

“Daryl,” I say. “Look at me. We’re okay. You hear me? Everything’s gonna’ be alright.”

He looks at me and he’s dwelling in sadness. I want to make it better, pull him from his sorrow and remind him that as long as we have each other it will all be okay. I’m sad too but we can’t dwell in it. We can never afford to let our sadness consume us when everyday is a struggle to survive. We have more and more threats now with Negan and Dwight and all of their people.

I kiss him, crawling into his lap, straddling his thighs, arms around him. His arms go around me too. I nip at his bottom lip then kiss his neck too. He makes a quiet sound of pleasure. I pull his shirt off and then my own, kissing his lips again. He kisses me back, losing himself in the passion of the moment finally. He soon flips me over onto my back and we make love, quick and hard the way we both seem to like it best. We both need it, need to be close to each other, to lose ourselves in the pleasure and forget everything else.

When we’re done, I can see a lot of the tension has left him and I’m relieved to see it. I know I feel a lot better too.

We don’t even have time to get dressed before there’s a persistent knocking sound at our door. Daryl pulls his underwear and pants on before going to answer it quickly. I follow after him a moment later, pulling on my underwear and bra and an oversized black tee shirt. I see the door open to reveal Rick. He takes in the sight of us barely dressed and says “Sorry to interrupt.”

“Ya didn’t interrupt nothin’,” Daryl assures him.

He nods and gets to his point. “Carol left.”

“What?” Daryl asks.

“She left a note saying that she wanted to leave and not to follow her.”

“Leave where?”

“I don’t know.”

“She’s comin’ back?”

“No, she left for good.”

We go get dressed and head outside to investigate what happened with Carol. I go to the gates to ask some of our people if they know anything that might have happened to cause Carol to want to leave. Daryl pulls up on his motorcycle, hops off to open the gates, then gets back on his bike. I stare with wide eyes. What the hell does he think he’s doing?

“Where are you going?” Rosita demands.

“Out,” he says.

“Daryl,” I say, walking over to him. This isn’t a smart idea.

“No shit,” Abraham comments. “You got specifics?”

Daryl has no answer for them. He revs the engine. I just barely have enough time to get on the bike with him before he’s taking off speeding on the motorcycle.

We end up stopping at a field. He starts to bury the bike in some bushes to hide it from anyone else who might want to steal it. 

There are a million things I want to say to my husband right now but I know him better than anyone else. I know how stubborn he is and that he’s set on doing this. I’m just as stubborn as him when I have my mind made up about doing something. He doesn’t argue with me for following him on this mission of his and I don’t argue with him for doing this. I just let him be and go with him to help him. He’d be furious with me if I tried to stop him, knowing how important Carol is to him. At least if I just go along with him right now he has a better chance of making it back home okay.

On our way through the field, we both stop when we hear a noise. We hide but then see who it is. I lower my gun because it’s not a threat, it’s just our people. It’s Glenn, Michonne, and Rosita. 

Daryl fires an arrow before I realize what he’s doing, hitting a tree near them just to be a jerk. “Watch the hell out, Asshole,” Rosita says.

“I did,” he responds. Which is true, he would have hit them if he actually meant to. His target was the tree. “Ya shouldn’t have come.”

“You shouldn’t have left,” Michonne says. 

“When we split off from Sasha and Abraham, he was out there in the woods, in that burned-out forest with them girls, put a gun to my head, tied us up. I tried to help him.”

“So you think this is your fault?” Glenn asks him.

“Yeah, I know it is. I’m gonna’ do what I should’ve done before.”

“For her? She’s gone, man. You’re doing this for you. And you’re dragging Del along with you.”

“Daryl... we need to get back there and figure this out from home. Our home. We need you and Del, and everyone back there needs us right now.”

“I can’t,” he tells them and hurries away, forcing me to chase after him. I’m aware of the fact that they’re coming after us as well.

Trouble finds us all once again. Trouble’s name is Dwight. Again and again he always finds us. I’m sick of seeing his face.

Daryl, Rosita, and I are hiding behind trees. Glenn and Michonne are tied up and gagged. Dwight has disappeared but I stay alert, knowing he must be close by.

I’m not expecting him to sneak right up behind Daryl and shoot him. I hear the gunshot and hear Dwight say “You’ll be alright.”

My heart nearly jumps right out of my chest. I start running to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to create more of a balance in this story of my own stuff and what's happening on the show. I want to follow the main events of the show but keep some of my own stuff in there too, and not take everything word for word from the show. I think it's working out well I hope. If not let me know.
> 
> I seem to have a few people at least thinking that Del might be pregnant. She did say many chapters ago that she couldn't get pregnant. When I created her, I intentionally designed her with a medical condition that would make it nearly impossible for her to get pregnant. But, there is always a small chance it could happen. Do you guys want her to be pregnant? I'm not saying that I will or that I won't make her pregnant, I'm just curious to know what you guys would like to see happen.
> 
> So please let me know what you think :)


	54. Fifty-Four

Dwight stops me before I can get to Daryl. He has his gun pointed at me as I glare at him. He forces us into a vehicle and takes us into the woods.

Michonne, Glenn, Eugene, Daryl, and I are yanked out into the woods and made to kneel in a line. Dwight’s people are here with lights and weapons and our people are here too.

I see Maggie, Carl, Aaron, Abraham, Rick, Sasha, and Rosita. They’re all made to kneel with us.

Daryl has a blanket over his shoulder but he needs medical attention. Maggie also doesn’t look good. She looks sick, in need of medical attention.

A man with a baseball bat is walking back and forth down the line of us all. He stops at Rick. “You’re the leader? You must be Rick. I’m Negan.”

Shit… so we finally meet. This is not good. We’re vulnerable. There’s too many of them. The odds are not in our favor.

“I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool. You are so gonna regret crossing me. You don’t mess with the new world order. It’s really very simple. So even if you’re stupid, which you may very well be, you can understand it. You have shit, you give it to me. That’s your job. Or I kill you. You built something. You thought you were safe. I get it. But you are not safe. Not even close.”

What an asshole… I can see how he’s the leader of these people.

“This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be. If someone knocks on your door, you let us in. We own that door. You try to stop us and we will knock it down. You understand?”

None of us answer. Rick doesn’t even say a word.

“No answer? You don’t really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished now, did you? I don’t want to kill you people. I want you to work for me. You can’t do that if you’re dead.”

He’s delusional. I want to shut him up. But I can’t. All I can do is kneel here on the ground and listen to him ramble.

“You killed my people. A whole damn lot of them. More than I’m comfortable with. And for that you’re gonna pay. So now, I’m gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you.”

He holds out his baseball bat covered in barbed wire.

“This is Lucille and she is awesome,” he informs us. “All this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor.

He stops in front of Maggie and tells her she looks shitty, mentions killing her to put her out of her misery. Glenn stands up to protect her but some guys beat him down, putting him back in line.

Negan is displeased. “Don’t any of you do that again,” he tells us. “I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First one’s free. It’s an emotional moment, I get it.”

He stops in front of Carl next.

He says to Rick that this is definitely his kid. Rick tells him to stop which prompts Negan to say “Do not make me kill the little future serial killer. Don’t make it easy on me. I gotta pick somebody. I simply cannot decide.”

He’s grinning and laughing and whistling like this is all a big joke to him.

“Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boy’s other eye out and feed it to his father,” Negan tells his men. Then he tells us “You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry.”

He’s making this a game, going down the line saying “Eeenie…meeny…miney…mo…”

All I can think is that I don’t want it to be Daryl that he lands on. Anyone but Daryl. And it’s fucked up to think that way. It really is. But I can’t help myself. No one is more important to me than him. I’d even rather it be me than him. Because if he dies I don’t know what I’ll do. I have our group but I’d be alone. I love him more than anything. We’ve been through so much together. He’s the only one who truly understands me. I always say that we can make it through anything as long as we have each other. He has become my whole world. He means everything to me.

Negan looks me in the eyes as he passes me. I glare at him, refusing to show fear. I refuse to cry in front of him. 

He stops at his intended victim. I feel sick. We’re all completely helpless. This is really happening. And none of us can do anything to fix it. We can’t protect ourselves or our people. One of us is about to be murdered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short :( It's the last one until the show returns again. I hope all my readers will return then too. I appreciate you all so much and can't wait to see where this story can go in the future.
> 
> I have to say I hate cliffhangers. Who do you think it's going to be that gets killed by Negan?
> 
> If you haven't commented yet, let me know if you want Del to be pregnant or not. I am still undecided about this and would love to know what you all think. As I said, I purposely created her with an actual medical condition that it makes it very difficult to get pregnant which is why earlier in this story she mentioned that she couldn't get pregnant. There is a small chance she could get pregnant and I have considered this as a storyline here but have not yet decided for sure if I want to do that or when I want to do that. So I would appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration as I plan what happens next for Del and Daryl.


	55. Chapter Fifty-Five

Negan swings his bat and his victim. Abraham. Negan grins and says “Taking it like a champ.”

“Suck my nuts,” Abraham says.

Negan laughs and hits him over and over again until he is dead and his head is reduced to a bloody pulp.

It’s sickening to watch. Abraham will be missed in our group. Everyone is crying. This is like a nightmare. I don’t want it to be real. It can’t be. But it is.

Daryl gets up and punches Negan before some of Negan’s men grab him and tackle him to the ground, forcing him back into his position in line.

“Now, I already told you people - first one's free, then- what'd I say?” Negan is saying. “I said I would shut that sh1t down! No exceptions. Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with... but I'm a man of my word. First impressions are important. I need you to know me. So... back to it.”

Negan steps up to Glenn and hits him in the head hard with the bat. It’s a crushing blow.

“Buddy, you still there?” Negan asks Glenn. “I just don't know. It seems like you're trying to speak, but you just took a hell of a hit. I just popped your skull so hard, your eyeball just popped out, and it is gross as shit!”

It’s a horrific sight. I could throw up. It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen and Glenn does not deserve this. Glenn is a good man. And poor Maggie…

“Maggie, I'll find you,” Glenn gets his last words out.

Maggie sobs as Negan beats Glenn to death as he did with Abraham so that there is nothing left of his head at all.

“Oh, hell,” Negan says. “I can see this is hard on you guys. I am sorry. I truly am. But I did say it. No exceptions!”

“I’m gonna’ kill you,” Rick threatens Negan.

Negan doesn’t seem bothered by the threat. There are few people I want dead as badly as I want to see Negan dead. I want to watch Rick kill him and I want him to suffer.

Negan takes Rick into the RV with his bat and an axe and they take off together.

Negan is psychotic. But he knows what he is doing. He is trying to break us. He wants to break Rick. He wants to break our whole group. This is how he gets people to follow him. He leaves them no other choice. He is picking his victims with purpose. He wants to take out all of our group’s strongest members. He wants to break them and make our group weak.

It’s daylight when Rick is brought back to us. We’re all kneeling on the ground as we were when he left. Negan’s men are holding guns to us so that we don’t move. 

Negan makes Rick kneel. He brings Carl to kneel near him. Negan places a tourniquet on Carl’s left arm where he draws a line with marker. It’s clear that he intends to cut Carl’s arm off.

My heart is racing. This is horrible. I don’t want to watch this happen to Carl but looking away won’t make it better.

“Please don’t,” Rick begs.

“Rick, I want you to take your ax... cut your son's left arm off, right on that line. Now, I know. You're gonna have to process that for a second. That makes sense. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it, or all these people are gonna die. Then Carl dies, then the people back home die... and then you, eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few years, just so you can stew on it.”

“You don't have to do this,” Michonne tells him. “We understand.”

“You understand. Yeah. I'm not sure that Rick does. I'm gonna need a clean cut right there on that line. Now, I know this is a screwed-up thing to ask, but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice- nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees- give us something to fold over. We got a great doctor. The kid'll be fine. Probably. Rick... this needs to happen now - chop, chop - or I will crush the little fella's skull myself.”

“It can be me,” Rick says to Negan. “You can do it to me. I can go with you.”

“No. This is the only way. Rick... pick up the ax. Not making a decision is a big decision. You really want to see all these people die? You will. You will see every ugly thing. Oh, my God. Are you gonna make me count? Okay, Rick. You win. I am counting. 3!”

Rick cries. “Please. It can be me. Please!”

“2”

“Please.”

“1.”

“ Dad... just do it,” Carl says. It’s heart breaking. Carl is a brave kid. “Just do it.”

Rick sobs.

“You answer to me,” Negan says to Rick, having successfully broken him. “You provide for me. You belong to me. Right? Speak when you're spoken to! You answer to me. You provide for me. Provide for you. You belong to me. That... is the look I wanted to see. We did it... all of us, together... even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award, for sure. Today was a productive damn day! Now, I hope, for all your sake... that you get it now... that you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you... that is over now.”

Negan points then to Daryl. “Dwight... load him up.”

Dwight drags Daryl away into a van. Daryl scratches at the ground desperately in protest but ends up in the van anyway.

No… not Daryl… please not Daryl… please… I can’t be without Daryl. This can’t happen. I need to be with Daryl. I can’t be left here alone without him. They’ll hurt him. They’ll do terrible things to him. And I’ll be here with the group but I’ll be alone. I need to be with Daryl. I can’t be separated from him. He is all I have. It’s supposed to be us against the world. Not Daryl. Please… anything but Daryl. Don’t take him away from me.

“He's got guts - not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He's mine now,” Negan tells us. “But you still want to try something? "Not today, not tomorrow. I will cut pieces off of... Hell's his name?”

“Daryl,” one of Negan’s crew answers.

“Wow,” Negan chuckles. “That actually sounds right. I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep - or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me.”

“No,” I say, before I can stop myself. If they take Daryl away from me nothing else really matters, does it? Daryl is everything.

“What?” Negan walks to me. “What did you say?”

“I said no,” I tell him.

He grins. I hate his sickening grins and laughs and whistling. He’s crazy. “You haven’t cried,” he says. “You don’t flinch. You’re telling me no even after everything that I have said and put you all through. I could kill you right now. Kill you all. No exceptions. I warned you.”

“Please…” Rick speaks up for me.

Negan looks from Rick to me. “I should kill you. Make you all suffer. But I can be a nice guy sometimes. I’ll give you this one for free. I’m gonna’ take this girl with me too. What’s your name honey?”

I glare at him.

He holds his bloody bat to my head. “What’s your name?”

“Del… Delilah…” Rick says.

Negan seems both amused and irritated. “Pretty name.”

Dwight announces “She’s Daryl’s wife.”

“Even better.” Negan is incredibly pleased by this information. “I’m taking you with me.”

He will use me against Daryl to try break him. He wants to break me too because I am not broken like everyone else yet. He sees that Rick needs me, that I am one of Rick’s strongest people, and that means that I need to be broken. I need to belong to Negan. Negan can use me. And he needs everyone to be broken so that our group is his and helps him. 

As I am being dragged to the van, I hear Negan giving a speech.

“Welcome to a brand-new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then... ta-ta.”  
\---

Daryl and I are taken to Negan’s home base. It is called The Sanctuary.

I don’t get to say much to Daryl on the way there but I get to touch his hand briefly and it gives me all the strength that I need.

Daryl and I are separated. I’m stripped naked. I have to listen to people making sexual comments. One guy tries to grope me and Negan promptly puts a stop to it. I learn that Negan finds rape to be barbaric and unfitting of his society but he is not completely against threatening women to get them to consent to sex. I don’t consent and they don’t get to have sex with me.

They drag me to a small dark room where I am locked in. Daryl is inside the room as well, naked like I am. There is loud music playing which doesn’t make it easy to talk to Daryl privately. I kiss his lips and hug him tightly. We sit on the floor together and he holds me in his strong embrace. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. I don’t know if we’re going to make it out alive. But we’re together and that’s all that matters to me.

I’m not sure how much time passes before the door to our room opens and Dwight is standing there with a couple of sandwiches. The sandwiches are just bread and dog food. They taste terrible. Dwight watches us until we eat them. I remember long ago when Daryl and I had to eat raw squirrel to survive and this is no different. Daryl and I must do what it takes to survive. They will not break us.

The music stops just long enough while I am left alone with Daryl for me to get a few quiet words to him. I whisper as I hold onto him. “We will get through this together. We’ve survived so much and we will survive this together like always.”

“Ya’ shouldn’t be here.”

“I belong with you, wherever you go I follow. Okay?”

He nods.

“I know that you feel guilty about what happened out there,” I say, thinking about how he punched Negan and unintentionally resulted in Glenn’s death. “Ya did what we all wanted to do. No one blames you. The only one who is at fault is Negan. He’s the one doin’ this to us. But we are stronger than that. We won’t let him break us.”

I don’t know if Daryl believes my words. I think that he might always feel guilty about what happened to Glenn. He is a good man with a good heart and he cared about Glenn. But I hope that I can at least take some of the burden off of his shoulders.

Daryl nods again.

“I love you.”

“I love ya too.”

I kiss him once more as the music begins to play. It’s the same song on repeat, an upbeat tune called Easy Street. It’s so loud that it’s nearly impossible to sleep.

Again, more time passes and I have no way to know how much time exactly. Dwight keeps bringing us dog food sandwiches and we always eat them without complaint. After a while I pretty much stop tasting the dog food at all. Daryl and I cling together for comfort and strength and for warmth as we are both now shivering. Dwight throws clothes at us. He has Daryl’s crossbow. 

We both wear the matching outfits. Plain gray sweatpants and a plain grey sweater marked with a big orange painted on A on the front and back. Dwight grabs us and leads us away down the halls past some people mopping the floor. We enter a clinic type room.

“Carson,” Dwight greets the doctor in the white doctor coat.

“We were just finishing up,” he tells Dwight, gesturing at a woman.

I recognize her as the woman we met in the ash forest. Sherry. Dwight’s wife. I remember her riding away on Daryl’s motorcycle with his valuable possessions. Dwight even wears Daryl’s vest now with the angel wings on it.

“Daryl, right?” she asks. “Del?”

Neither Daryl or I respond. I want to punch her. 

“Don't talk to them,” Dwight tells her. 

“It's negative,” she announces, pointing at a pregnancy test strip.

“Well, maybe next time,” Dwight looks horrified, clearly not wanting the test to be positive.

“Whatever they say... just do it,” Sherry says to Daryl and me.

“I said don't talk to him,” Dwight says again.

“Okay, let's take a look,” the doctor says as Sherry leaves. Daryl sits down and the doctor looks at the wound on his back. “It'll get better - if you let it. Negan will take care of you. Trust me.”

Negan will take care of us… No thank you.

Daryl and I are temporarily separated once more. The doctor examines me and I tell myself to stay still and silent. 

He makes me urinate in a cup that he wants to test for “diseases and things.”

“I heard a rumor that you were a doctor,” he says to me. “Where you a good doctor?”

I don’t reply.

“If you’re such a good doctor, did the possibility of yourself being pregnant ever dawn on you?”

“I can’t get pregnant,” I say. “I have a condition.”

He presents me with a pregnancy test strip that is clearly positive. “Negan makes all the females take these tests.”

“It’s wrong.”

“It’s not.”

“This is a trick.”

“You’re pregnant. You really didn’t know that?”

I stare at him. This is a trick.

He repeats the test so that I can see. There doesn’t seem to be any trick. It seems to be that I am pregnant. But how could that be possible?

“I’m going to have to tell Negan. I don’t know how he’ll feel about this.”

I end up back with Dwight and Daryl. We are lead outside into the daylight. There is a fenced in area with walkers. Other captives like us with the same outfit but different letters painted on theirs are inside trying to fend off the walkers.

Dwight uses the crossbow to shoot one. “You know, I'm getting the hang of this thing.”

He shoves us both against the chain link fence. “That's you, assholes. Unless you're smart. Your choice. You could be like them... ...or me. Or them.”

Those are not real choices. I don’t want to be like any of them.

We are brought back into our small room.

“Make it easy on yourselves,” Dwight advises us.

“We ain't ever gonna kneel,” Daryl says, meaning kneel to Negan. 

“Yeah, I said that, too.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

Dwight sighs. “See, that's the thing, man. You don't. But you're gonna.”

The door shuts. I can’t really see Daryl in the dark but I cling to him still.

“Something happened,” I tell him. “They tested me. The doctor.”

“What do ya mean? Somethin wrong with ya? Did they hurt ya?”

“Nothin’ like that,” I say. “I don’t know how this could happen. With my condition. But I’m pregnant.”

“What?”

“I’m pregnant. I thought it was impossible but I am.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

He’s quiet for too long.

“Are ya mad?”

“No,” he says and he embraces me. 

I never wanted to be a mother. I don’t think I would be good at it. This is not a world that I would want to bring a baby into. Too dangerous. Too horrible. What would mine and Daryl’s child be like? I don’t want to think about it. I don’t know what Negan will do to me when he finds out about it. It probably won’t survive. Most people don’t. I won’t get attached to this pregnancy. I don’t know if I even want it. I can barely believe it’s real. I think of Maggie. I think of Lori. It makes me sad.

He gets up and he starts kicking the locked door angrily. The song begins to play again.

‘We're on Easy Street. And it feels so sweet. 'Cause the world is but a treat. When you're on Easy Street ♪’ 

A different man comes this time to give us our sandwiches. There is a black stripe, an I or a 1 maybe painted onto the back of our sweaters. He stares at us silently then leaves. The sound of the door locking doesn’t happen.

Daryl and I sneak down the hallway. My heart is racing again. The girl Sherry sees us and whispers to us. “Go back while you can,” she warns us. “You know I did. Whatever he's done to you, there's more. There's always more. You won't get away. And when you're back, it'll be worse.” 

We don’t want to be like her though. So we continue on down the hall and get outside but Negan and a bunch of others surround us.

Negan whistles. This was all a test of course to see what we would do. He laughs. “Are we pissing our pants yet?” he asks us.

He points at different men in his group asking who are you and they all say that they are Negan.

“You see that? I am everywhere. And this was your shot to prove to me that that fundamental fact was sinking in, and you failed. Which sucks, because your lives were about to get so much cooler. Am I right? Damn right. Now, Dwight gave you some options. I don't think you get it yet. So I'm gonna break it down for you. You get three choices. One, you wind up on the spike and you work for me as dead people. Two, you get out of your cell, you work for points, but you're gonna wish you were dead. Or three, you work for me, you get yourself a brand-new pair of shoes, and you live like Kings and Queens! Choice seems pretty obvious. You should know, there is no door number four. This is it. This is the only way.”

Daryl and I don’t say anything.

“Screw it.” Negan raises the bat quickly at our heads but we don’t flinch. “Wow! You don't scare easy. I love that. But Lucille... Well, it kind of pisses her off. She finds it to be disrespectful. Lucky for you, she's not feeling too thirsty today. But I am. So... I'm gonna go get me a drink!”

Negan whistles as he walks away. I get a glimpse of the men beginning to beat up Daryl as I am dragged away back to the cell.

“You are one tough chick,” Negan says to me. “I don’t see many like you. I like that. But I’m gonna’ break you. I’ll kill that baby inside you. I’ll kill everyone you care about. I’ll kill Daryl if I have to. You will break.”

I glare at him.

He chuckles and leaves me alone in the locked room.

Daryl returns eventually and I throw my arms around him. “Are ya hurt bad?” I ask him.

“No,” he says.

I could cry but I don’t.

There’s a voice outside the door. It’s Sherry. “Daryl? Del? There’s so many things I wish I never found out... I wish I didn't try... Back in the woods... after I lost Tina... when we took your stuff, when we decided to go back... I told you I was sorry. And you said, "You're gonna be." I am.”

I’m sure that she suffers here but part of me thinks that it’s not enough.

The music plays again until Dwight returns to open the door. He brings us our sandwiches. Daryl and I don’t start eating them yet. “Eat,” he insists. “You got your friend killed. I got Tina killed. And don't pretend like you don't know the score.” He’s talking about Glenn. What an asshole.

Daryl throws his sandwich.

“You should be dead,” Dwight says. “Both of you. But Negan's taken a shine to you. You're lucky. Don't forget.” He leaves a Polaroid photo for us then the door closes as he leaves and the lock clicks. The song switches for the first time, to a song called Crying. Daryl picks up the Polaroid and there is enough light now to see Glenn’s bloody remains on the ground in the photograph. Daryl cries. He holds onto me tightly and cries. Tears spill down my face silently and I hold him too as he sobs loudly.

The door opens a while after. Dwight brings us to a clean apartment where Negan is waiting. He takes in the sight of Daryl’s wounds from the beating. “You... look awful. Don't you worry. We'll have Carson fix you all up. You two thirsty? Here.”

He hands me a glass of water then Daryl.

“Ah, hell, I forgot. Your mouth is all... puffed up like a baboon's ass. Need a straw? D, give him a straw.” D or Dwight hurries to get the straw. “What's wrong with you? See that guy? He hustles. I like hustle. But believe it or not, things weren't always cool between us. See, D here - he worked for points, him and his super hot wife and her super hot sister. But, see, sis- she needed meds.” She was the one with diabetes. “And that shit is hard to scavenge, so it cost more. Sis fell behind on points, so I asked her to marry me. Told her I would take care of her in sickness and in health, blah blah blah, because I am a stand-up guy. She tells me that she's gonna think about it. Next thing you know, I'm dealing with an orange situation. Dwighty boy here stole all the medication and took off with his super hot wife and my super hot maybe soon-to-be fiancée. So I had to send my guys after him. Because I can't let something like that stand. There...are...rules. Cost me an arm and a leg going after him. And you know what- Dwighty boy? He still got away. But here's the thing. D- he saw the light. He manned up. He came back. He asked for my forgiveness. I like that. Made me... take notice. But Lucille... Well...you know how she is. She is a stickler for the rules. So, Dwight... he begged me not to kill Sherry, which I thought was kind of cute, so I was just gonna kill him. But then Sherry says that she will marry me if I let Dwight live, which, if you think about it, that's a pretty screwed-up deal, 'cause I was gonna marry her sister until she wound up dead, but... Sherry is super hot. Anyways, it was a start. But it wasn't enough. So Dwight... he got the iron to his face. And then I married his super hot wife. Ex-wife. And then after all that, he still got on board. And now look at him. One of my top guys. And we are totally cool. The point being, I think you can be that guy. I think you are ready to be that guy. You and your pretty wife. You look around here. This? Well... it can all be yours. All you got to do is answer one simple question. Who are you?”

Daryl and I don’t respond.

“What, does the cat got your tongue? You're just overwhelmed by the awesomeness of this? I'm gonna ask you one more time. Who are you?” 

“ Daryl.” 

He frowns and looks at me. “Who are you?”

“Del.”

“Oh, this is the only –“ Dwight tries to interrupt, I think surprisingly on our behalf. Maybe he feels guilty about what he did. Maybe he thinks we’d be useful. 

“Hey. Shh. It's cool, D. They made their choice. Ain't my problem if they made a dumbass choice.” 

We are taken back to our little room. Dwight yells at us as he puts us there. “ You're gonna wind up in that room or hanging on the fence!”

I get why you did it. Why you took it,” Daryl says to him. “You were thinking about someone else. That's why I can't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a very long chapter. Sorry it's a bit late. If you're reading this, please let me know so that I will know to continue this story. If no one's reading it I will let it go. As for popular request, I did go ahead and let Del be pregnant. What do you think about that? How are you all liking the new season so far? I debated where Delilah would go and decided that this was right so I hope you like it. There are a lot of quotes from the episodes which I have been trying to stay away from recently but it was unavoidable this chapter. Negan was saying a lot of important things, all of which made it into this chapter word for word. That won't always happen as I will take creative liberty with certain things. Ultimately, you all have liked that this story follows the same plot as the show and I will continue to do that.


	56. Chapter Fifty-Six

Daryl and I are still dressed in the same clothes when we head to Alexandria with Negan and some of his men. Rosita, Eugene, Rick, and Spencer open the gate to Alexandria and let us in. Dwight stands next to Daryl and I.

“You said a week,” Rick says. “You're early.”

“I missed you,” Negan says. “Let's get started.”

Rick lets Negan hold his bloody bat Lucille.

“This place is magnificent!” Negan cheers. “I do believe you are gonna have plenty to offer up.”

“Daryl, Del –“ Rick starts to say.

“Nope,” Negan interrupts. “They’re the help. You don't look at themm, you don't talk to them, and I don't make you chop anything off of them. Same goes for everyone All right, let's get this show on the road. See what kind of goodies you got in the cupboard. You don't decide what we take. I do. We’re just gonna search the houses a bit, keep the process movin'. All right. You gonna show me around or not?”

Rick begins to show Negan around. A few of Negan’s men follow including me and Daryl.

“A little cooperation and everything is pleasant as punch,” Negan says. “You see, we really are reasonable people once you get to know us. Damn, I love this place! Whatever happened to that sick girl?” He means Maggie. “That seemed like a hell of a stressful night for her. The way she was carrying on, she was married to number two, right? Careful. Careful how you're lookin' at me, Rick. Widows, especially ones that look like that... ...they...are special. I love 'em. Right after their husbands go, they are just... empty inside. But usually not for long.” He chuckles suggestively. It makes me feel sick. “Where is she? I would love to see her.” 

Father Gabriel is here now and asks “Do you care to pay your respects? 

“Ho-ly crap!” Negan seems startled to see the priest. “You are creepy as shit, sneaking up on me, wearin' that collar with that freaky-ass smile.”

“My apologies,” the priest replies. “I'm Father Gabriel.”

“She didn't make it?” Negan asks him, speaking of Maggie again.

Father Gabriel shakes his head. Is that true? It can’t be. They have to be lying… protecting Maggie.

We go to where they have made a grave for Maggie and Negan says “Damn tragedy. That's what this is. Well, this must really suck for you guys. Number one? That was on me. No choice there. Lessons had to be learned. But number two? That didn't need to happen. Daryl, there, he forced my hand.”

I bite my lip to keep from saying anything in anger.

“Probably put her right on her back, huh? Damn. I was gonna ask her to come back with me. Oh, I know what you're thinkin'. How could I have a shot, guy that just bashed her husband's head in? You'd be surprised. Boy, people, they –“

A gunshot interrupts Negan’s disgusting speech.

We all run to where the sound came from, hurrying inside a house where Carl is holding a gun on some of Negan’s men. My eyes widen at the scene. 

“Carl, put it down,” Rick encourages him.

“He's taking all of our medicine,” Carl protests. “They said only half our stuff.”

“Really, kid?” Negan asks Carl.

You should go before you find out how dangerous we all are,” Carl tells him. 

“Well, pardon me, young man. Excuse the shit out of my goddamn French, but... did you just threaten me? Look, I get threatening Davey here, but I can't have it. Not him, not me.”

“Carl, just put it down,” Rick insists.

“Don't be rude, Rick,” Negan says. “We are having a conversation here. Now, boy, where were we? Oh, yeah. Your giant, man-sized balls. No threatening us. Listen, I like you, so I don't want to go hard proving a point here. You don't want that. I said half your shit, and half is what I say it is. I'm serious. Do you want me to prove how serious? Again?”

Carl gives the gun to Rick finally.

“You know, Rick, this whole thing reminds me that you have a lot of guns. There's all the guns you took from my outpost when you wasted all my people with a shit-ton of your own guns, and I'm bettin' there's even more, which adds up to an absolute... ass-load of guns, and as this little emotional outburst just made crystal clear... I can't allow that. They're all mine now. So tell me, Rick- where are my guns?”

Rick takes Negan and us all to the garage where the guns are. The woman who keeps track of all the inventory, Olivia, takes us inside and shows us everything while Negan and Rick have a private conversation.

Daryl and I help to carry guns outside, stacking them up where Rick and Negan are standing.

“Hold up,” Negan stops us. “Let's see if you've been taking care of my guns.” Negan cocks a gun and points it at Daryl. Again I bite my lip. Daryl stays silent and goes back inside for more guns so I follow him. I’m so sick of this. I hate it. I hate Negan. 

Two guns are found to be missing from inventory. Negan threatens to kill Olivia if the guns are not brought to him. Rick goes to talk to everyone and search for the guns. Daryl and I have to wait with Negan. 

One is brought back although he doesn’t say where he found it. He goes to get the second one. 

After a while, he returns with Michonne. She has a dead deer and Rick hands the gun to Negan. Rick says “I thought she was scavenging. She was hunting. This one never came inside. We kept it near the line.”

“This is something to build a relationship on,” Negan says. “Good for you, Rick. This is readin' the room and gettin' the message. I've said it before, I'm gonna say it again. You, sir...are special.”

Rick hesitates before asking “Now that you know we can follow your rules... “

“Yes?”

“I'd like to ask you if Daryl and Del can stay.”

“Not happenin'. You know what? I don't know. Maybe Daryl can plead his case. Maybe Delilah here can find a way to sway me. Daryl? Del?”

Daryl and I know better than to say anything. We remain silent. 

Negan chuckles. “Well, you tried. Now what you got to do is get over that tall wall of yours and try harder out there. Earn for me. Because we're coming back soon, and when we do, you better have something interesting for us, or Lucille, she's gonna have her way. I want you to hear that again. If you don't have something interesting for us... somebody's gonna die. And no more magic guns. Let’s grab that deer. It's getting late. Let's go home. “

Dwight gets on Daryl’s motorcycle and starts it.”You can have it back,” Daryl says. “Just say the word.”

Again, we know to stay silent. Negan will punish us for speaking up. Dwight drives off.

“So, nobody died,” Negan says to Rick. “And you know what I think? I think you and I, we've refined our understanding. Let me ask you something, Rick. Do you want me to go?”

“I think that'd be good,” Rick says.

“Then just say those two magical words.”

“Thank you,” Rick tells him.

Negan chuckles. “Don't be ridiculous. Thank you! You know what I think, Rick? I think we're both gonna come out of this winners. Let's move out! Oh, wait. How careless of me. You didn't think I was gonna leave Lucille, did ya? I mean, after what she did, why would you want 'er? Thank you for being so accommodating, friend.” He takes his bat from Rick. “In case you haven't caught on... I just slipped my dick down your throat, and you thanked me for it.”

Negan and his men, along with Daryl and I, drive away from Alexandria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys, I was sick and unable to find time to update this but am doing better now so I will try to update again sooner.


	57. Chapter FIfty-Seven

Daryl and I are standing in the fenced in area where there are walkers, most of which were once prisoners here like us. It happens fast. A truck returns with supplies but there are more than just supplies on it. Someone is inside it that’s not supposed to be. They shoot two of Negan’s men before Negan and Dwight along with a few others stop him. He has a gun which is soon taken from him.

“You are adorable,” Negan tells him, chuckling. “Did you pick that gun cause it looks cool? You totally did, right? Kid, I ain’t gonna’ lie… you scare the shit outta me.”

Daryl and I both recognize this kid. It’s Carl. My heart races and the worry on Daryl’s face is clear.

Negan takes Carl saying he is going to show him around. He insists that Daryl and I go with Dwight to prepare some food. Daryl and I exchange displeased glances before following Dwight.

I can’t believe Carl is here. Why did he do this? It’s stupid. He’s a brave kid but it could get him killed. I want to protect him but I don’t know how.

We prepare the food in silence and bring it on trays to a room where Negan and Carl are along with Negan’s many wives. We watch him be mean to them as usual. I mostly keep glancing at Carl.

Daryl breaks his silence first and asks Negan “Why do you got him here?”

“Whoa!” Negan shouts. “What we talk about when you're not here... is none of your business. Do not make me put this toothpick through the only eye he has. You go with Dwight. He'll get you a mop.”

This is not good. I don’t know what I’ll do if Negan hurts Carl. That cannot happen. Right now there is nothing I can do except follow Daryl and Dwight.

We all gather where the furnace is. Negan announces that once of the men here fucked up and needs to be punished and that punishment is a hot iron to the face like what happened to Dwight.

We all watch as Negan burns Marc until he passes out. I bite my lip as I watch. Daryl mops up any body fluids on the floor. Carl is watching too. I notice the bandage covering his wounded eye socket is missing and imagine Negan must have forced him to remove it. Carl wouldn’t do that on his own. It’s not a pretty sight, that’s for sure. I’ve seen it before though, several times as our group’s doctor. It’s healed now, as well as it possibly can. It’s never going to look pretty no matter how much time passes.

“Let Mark's face be a daily reminder to him and to everyone else that the rules matter,” Negan tells us all.

Not long after, Daryl and I are outside when a truck pulls up to the gates. It’s Negan with Carl. “Daryl! Del!” Negan calls us over to the truck. “You seem worried, so I'm taking the kid home.”

I’m very scared for Carl. I really hope that he gets back to his father safely.

“If you do anything to him...” Daryl threatens. He loves Carl and Judith so much and he can’t help himself when it comes to them.

“Dwight! Daryl needs a time-out,” Negan announces. “Put him back in his box for a while.” 

Dwight throws us both back in our holding cell. Maybe he doesn’t want to look at me. Maybe he wants me to be punished for existing. Maybe he’s worried I’ll cause trouble. Either way, Daryl and I are put away together.

We don’t even have time to begin a conversation about Carl or anything before a note is slid under the door to us. Daryl picks it up and shows it to me. There are two words written on it. ‘Go now.’ There are a couple tools taped to the back of the paper to help us escape.

“This is from Jesus,” Daryl whispers to me. “I thought I saw him jumpin’ down from that truck.”

Can I trust it? Is this really from Jesus? Or is it a trap like before, set to test us so we can fail and get punished? I don’t want Daryl to get more hurt.

But if he says he saw Jesus and is confident that this is from him, then I have to trust him. This may be our only chance to escape. If we stay here we will continue to be miserable and suffer.

It’s time to go. I follow Daryl out of our room and down the hallway very quietly and carefully. We hide in someone’s bedroom nearby. The owner of the bedroom is not inside it. Daryl and I are able to take a moment to regroup.

The man that owns the bedroom is fond of plaid shirts. Daryl and I both put on plain tee shirts and plaid button down long sleeved shirts. I roll the sleeves up on mine so that they don’t cover my hands. The clothes are too big for me but feel nicer than the stiff dirty sweater I was stuck in as a prisoner. Daryl completes his new outfit with a baseball cap and a pair of clean pants.

He finds a jar of peanut butter and a couple of spoons. “Eat,” he says. We sit down together and share the peanut butter. It tastes like paradise compared to the dog food sandwiches we had been forced to eat. It’s absolutely delicious and makes my stomach feel less empty. I feel stronger already. I am confident that we are going to be free now.

We finish eating. Daryl grabs a pipe as a weapon and we make a break for it. We get outside to where the motorcycles are. My heart is beating fast. He grabs my hand and pulls me along with him. We are so close to being free of this place.

Suddenly there’s a voice. Someone has caught us. I nearly have a heart attack as I look up at the man.

Fat Joey. That’s what he is called anyway. One of Negan’s men. He puts his hands up in the air and talks to us. Daryl steps in front of me protectively. I stare at Fat Joey and listen to what he is saying to us. “It's cool, I swear. Buddy, you can walk right out that back gate there, and I won't say anything to anybody. I'm supposed to be there now but… “

I think of the consequences of letting Fat Joey go tell everyone. He will. And Daryl and I could lose everything. 

“Listen, I'm just trying to get by, just like you. Please.”

But he’s not just like us. None of the people here are like me and Daryl.

Daryl hits Fat Joey in the head with the pipe. He goes down to the ground and Daryl keeps hitting him hard in the head. Daryl’s hat falls off and Jesus takes the moment to run out to us.

“Daryl…” Jesus says.

I watch the scene with wide eyes. It’s unfortunate but it was the only way.

Daryl’s clothing is splattered by Fat Joey’s blood now. I run over to Daryl and throw my arms around him. He drops the pipe on the ground. He kisses my forehead then bends and picks up Fat Joey’s gun. He looks at Jesus who is a bit shocked by what happened. He tells Jesus “It ain't just about gettin' by here. It's about gettin' it all.”

That’s the truth. Jesus seems to understand this. Daryl has the keys to the motorcycles. He climbs on one and I sit behind him. Jesus grabs a walkie talkie and takes a key for one of the other motorcycles. Time to find freedom. Being on the back of a bike with Daryl driving away from this horrible place is a huge relief, such an amazing feeling. I can leave this nightmare behind me finally.

We drive for a while, open roads, no longer trapped in a cell. When I see the sight of The Hilltop community, I am filled with relief. One of the first people we see is Maggie. She hugs us both tightly. I’m happy to see her alive and well. It’s good to have a familiar face. It gives me a sense of belonging. We are also reunited with Enid and Sasha. We made it. We’re safe.

Daryl and I are given warm food which I am more than happy to devour. We are able to bathe and dress in clean clothes which is incredible. He gets a black button down with short sleeves and pants and boots. He looks more like himself which is a nice sight to see. I get a plain black long sleeved tee along with jeans and boots. I tie my hair back and am no longer covered in filth. It makes me feel more like myself as well.

Doctor Carson of course wants to check us over and make sure we are healthy. I explain to him what I was told about my health by Negan’s doctor. He uses the ultrasound machine on me and picks up the sound of a healthy baby’s heartbeat. I see an image of a small blurry looking baby on the screen. It seems unreal. I never thought that this was possible. Is there really a baby inside me? Mine and Daryl’s baby? We created a tiny baby together?

I look to Daryl as he hears the heartbeat and there are tears in his eyes. It’s an emotional moment for the both of us.

“I’m so happy for you,” Maggie tells us both when she hears the news. She hugs us both again in excitement. She talks to me about pregnancy and babies. She does most of the talking though. I’m exhausted and still adjusting to everything. She doesn’t seem to mind.

Daryl and I both sleep for what seems like ages. He holds me close the whole night. We eat food the next day, talk to a few people, and then there is a new arrival at the Hilltop.

Rick, Carl, Michonne, Rosita, and Tara are all here. It’s a relief for me to see Carl safe and with his father again. We are all glad to be reunited with each other.

Rick gives both Daryl and I strong emotional hugs. It makes me so happy. Everything seems so much brighter now.

Daryl gives Rick the gun he got from Fat Joey. Rick says he is now ready to listen and is ready to fight. We all head inside together, full of hope and determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all the kudos and kind comments. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.


	58. Chapter Fifty-Eight

We all gather in Gregory’s office, trying to convince him that we all need to join together and fight. He’s not so easily convinced.

“Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?” Rick demands.

“Yeah. Sure. Okay.”

“So, what will you do to fix the problem?” Michonne challenges.

“I didn't say we had a problem. You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview.”

“What the hell, man?” Daryl exclaims. “You're either with us or you ain't. You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth.”

“I think I've made my position very clear.”

Gregory may not be on board with our plans but when we walk outside we see a different story. Some of the people from this community have gathered to tell us that they want to learn to fight and join us.

“We need more hands, another group,” Rick tells us.

Even with the help of these people, it won’t be enough. I’ve seen Negan and his people. I know what they are capable of. We need big numbers if we want to win.

“I think it's time we introduced you to King Ezekiel,” Jesus tells us.

Jesus brings us to a place called The Kingdom. It’s a decent sized community for sure. And they have Morgan. He tells us he found Carol but she left because she wanted to get away from everyone.

We meet King Ezekiel and he has a tiger on a chain sitting next to him. It’s definitely a sight to behold.

Jesus introduces us and Rick explains why we’re here. “We came to ask the Kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the Saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us.”

The King invites us all to stay the night and eat with them, promising to give us his answer in the morning.

We have no choice but to do as he says. In the morning we meet again with him, eager for his response.

The King does not seem too eager to have his people enter battle. “I have to worry about my people,” he tells us.

“You call yourself a damn king,” Daryl says. “You sure as hell don't act like one.”

“The peace we have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. Although the Kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the King is sympathetic to your plight. I offer our friends Daryl and Delilah asylum for as long as they require it. They will be safe here. The Saviors do not set foot inside our walls.”

That is not what I wanted to hear… This man is a coward and a fool. He is no king.

“How long do you think that's gonna last?” Daryl responds.

We all go to leave now but Rick stops Daryl and me. 

“I ain’t staying here,” Daryl argues.

“You have to,” Rick insists. “It's the smartest play. You know it is. Try to talk to Ezekiel. Or stare him into submission - Whatever it takes. We'll be back soon.”

Daryl and I spend our night alone together. The Kingdom has good food at least and we take advantage of that. We also bathe. As we lay in bed together, we discuss everything that’s happening. 

This King guy doesn’t impress us. We’d both much rather be at home in Alexandria with our people. Especially after everything that happened to us. We don’t belong here.

“This is bullshit,” Daryl says.

“I know,” I agree. “Rick shouldn’t have told us to stay here. I guess he thinks we’re safer here.”

“I don’t need him to protect me.”

“I don’t either.”

Daryl puts a hand on my belly for a moment.

“We’re not safer here,” I tell him. “Negan is going to come looking for us everywhere and he ain’t gonna’ stop. Ezekiel says Negan doesn’t come inside this place but we both know that ain’t gonna’ last. He’ll come in here and he’ll find us. We’re not safer here. I can take care of myself. I’ve proved that. You and me, we have each other. That’s what’s most important.”

I give him a quick kiss on the lips. He places an arm around me, holding me closer.

“We’ll see what this place is really about, talk to that Ezekiel guy if we have to, and then we leave. They can’t make us stay here.”

He nods. “You’re right. That’s what we’ll do.”

He seems comforted by what I said. With this plan in mind, we both go to sleep.

The next morning, we talk to Morgan.

“You know what they are,” Daryl says to him, talking about Negan’s men.

“I do,” Morgan replies.

“You know, if Carol were here, she saw all that... if she knew about Abraham... and Glenn... she'd be leading us right to them, ready to kill them all.”

“She would. And that's why she left.”

Daryl storms off away from Morgan and I follow him. We come across a man shooting arrows from a bow at a target. His name is Richard. He says he doesn’t have a gun and is practicing with these instead. He hands something to Daryl. “Morgan said you’re a bowman,” he says. It’s a crossbow.

“Why?” Daryl asks him.

“We want the same things. I need your help.”

He leads us to his hideout outside the Kingdom where he has supplies stocked up, including weapons- guns. He says the Saviors have been in this area and he can’t take them on alone which is why he needs our help.

He mentions a woman living in a cabin nearby and that Ezekiel cares about her. He says she’d die out there alone anyway. His plan is for us to take out some of these Saviors and when more come here and find their friends dead then they will follow a trail back to the cabin and kill this woman. When this woman is killed by the Saviors then Ezekiel will have no choice but to take action.

“What’s her name?” Daryl demands.

I stare at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what is happening. I don’t have any idea who this woman is but I’m also not sure she should die just to spur Ezekiel into action.

“Carol,” Richard answers.

“You stay the hell away from her!” Daryl demands.

Richard won’t give up. He and Daryl end up suddenly fighting with each other physically. Richard drops his gun. I reach for it and hold it aimed at him. Daryl grabs his crossbow and points it at Richard as well.

“If anything happens to Carol, I’ll kill you,” Daryl tells him.

We leave Richard and head back to the Kingdom.

“Are you gonna’ see Carol?” I ask him.

“Don’t know.”

He wants to. They’re friends. She’s one of our people, even if I never was too fond of her and her choices.

“What are you gonna’ say to her?”

“She should know what happened. Maybe she’ll wanna’ help.”

“Okay.”

We do get to see Carol. She’s living in her own little house away from everyone. She hugs Daryl tightly as they have an emotional reunion. I nod at her, acknowledging her but keeping my own distance.

“Why’d you go?” Daryl asks her, emotion clear in his tone.

“Had to,” she answers.

I think it’s bullshit.

We stay for a while talking with her. She asks if the Saviors came and if everyone is okay. Daryl lies and tells her that everyone is safe. I let him do what he has to do but I still don’t agree with Carol’s choices. I still don’t like her. I think at least Daryl feels better after seeing her. And I don’t think she should have to die just to get Ezekiel to take action. She’s very happy to know Daryl and I are expecting a baby. We leave her in peace.

We spend some time later that night sitting together outside the cell that contains Ezekiel’s pet tiger. At some point Morgan walks in.

“You’re good with her,” he says. “Ezekiel will be impressed.”

Daryl tells him he saw Carol. Then he says “We need the Kingdom. You gotta’ make it happen.”

“It can’t be me,” he refuses.

“Whatever you’re holding onto, it’s already gone. Wake the hell up,” Daryl tells him.

“You’re the same as me, Daryl.”

“You don’t know shit about me!”

“You didn’t tell Carol what happened and I’m glad for that. We’re all holding onto something.”

I don’t know how I feel about Morgan right now. He’s annoying me, pissing me off with the things he’s saying.

Daryl and I both reach in and pet the tiger before leaving. She allows us to. It’s strange to pet an actual tiger but she accepts our affection happily. I decide I like her.

“We’re going back to Hilltop in the morning and getting ready,” Daryl tells Morgan.

We get our rest for the night and in the morning we leave the Kingdom together. Big things are going to happen now and we need to be ready. I am not afraid with Daryl at my side. We are stronger than ever.


	59. Fifty-Nine

The Hilltop is not a bad place to be. The leader guy Gregory isn’t so great. He doesn’t seem to like me or any of us from Alexandria very much but I don’t like him either so that’s fair. I’m not afraid to let him know my opinion of him either.

Doctor Harlan Carson and I get along pretty well. There are things I can actually learn from him and he also keeps an eye on the life growing inside my belly. It’s still so strange to me to that there is a baby in there, Daryl’s and mine. I have trouble imagining it still. It’s hard to imagine myself as a mother. I never thought I would be or that I really wanted to be. It’s happening whether I believe it or not. Maggie’s real excited about it at least. She’s helping me through it. She’ll be a great mother.

One night, Daryl and I lay in bed together and we talk about everything going on in our lives. “Do you think I’ll be a good mother?” I start.

He looks at me and nods, completely confident. “Yes.”

His confidence helps me to feel less nervous. If he believes in me, then maybe I can do this and not screw it up too badly. “It’s so strange,” I say. “I hope I don’t suck at it.”

“I never pictured myself as a father,” he admits quietly.

“I know,” I agree. “We’ll make it work.”

“My father wasn’t… my parents were…”

“Yeah, I understand.” My father was real shitty too and my mother died when I was young. Neither one of us have much to rely on as far as good parenting figures go. “But you’re gonna’ be better than your father ever was. I know that for sure. I never met him but I know you ain’t nothin’ like him. You never will be. You’re a good man. That’s what’s most important. You’re a good man and you’ll love this baby and we can figure the rest out as we go along. We have each other. We’re not alone in this. We’ll make it work.”

He holds me close, comforted by my words. “You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” I joke.

“Sure,” he says, chuckling a little.

“Do you like it here?” I ask him.

“The Hilltop?”

“Yeah. Do you like being here at the Hilltop?”

“It’s alright.”

“You’d rather be with Rick in Alexandria though.”

“Yeah,” he admits.

“Me too.”

It’s never been real easy for me or Daryl to fit in with new people. No one really bothers us here but we haven’t exactly been making many friends here either. Daryl and I mostly stick to ourselves. Most of our interactions with other people are people from Alexandria like Maggie or the doctor or sometimes Jesus. This is not our home. This is not where we are supposed to be. And I’m always thinking of Rick and what’s going on in Alexandria with our people. I know that we can’t be there right now but it doesn’t make it feel much better.

“We’re gonna’ fight and we’re gonna’ win,” I say. “Everything will be better then.”

“Yeah.”

“I have you and that’s what matters most,” I tell him. “No matter where we are or what’s happening, we have each other and we’ll get through it together.”

We’ve been through so much together. We were both so alone at different times in our lives and now we have each other. I don’t know how I could have gotten through everything without Daryl by my side. I can’t imagine life without him and I don’t want to. I’m lucky to have him.

He kisses me and I kiss him back, pressing my body against his in attempt to get even closer to him. He presses me down on the bed, carefully lying on top of me. My hands roam over his body and I start to tug at his clothing to undress him. He gets the hint, undressing me as well and kissing me all over.

“I love you,” I tell him between kisses.

“I love you too.”

I never get tired of hearing him say those words to me. They are not words that he throws around lightly.

I whisper in his ear, telling him what I want him to do to me. He smirks a little and agrees.

We make love passionately and are both a little breathless as we hold each other tight afterwards and fall asleep together.  
\---

We are sitting outside together when the warning bell sounds and there are shouts “The Saviors are coming!”

My heart starts beating fast as we run together. We meet up with Enid and Maggie. There’s not enough time to get away from the Hilltop. We have to hide in the basement. Enid promises to keep them away from us.

One man does come inside the basement looking at our supplies. Daryl, Maggie, and I stay hidden in the back behind things. I grip my knife, ready to fight if I have to. Daryl is beside me, equally as ready to fight. It seems like forever before the man walks away from the basement, shutting the door behind him, leaving us alone.

"Ever since you got here, you haven’t said a word to me,” Maggie tells Daryl.

He’s suddenly very emotional and vulnerable in a way that he rarely ever shows. He’s sniffling, trying to hold back tears. “I’m sorry,” he tells her. He’s been carrying the weight of feeling responsible for what happened to Glenn despite my attempts to help him. I’ve insisted that he can’t blame himself for what happened but I think that he needs to hear it from Maggie in order to truly let it go.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she insists. I am so grateful to her for doing this. “You’re one of the good things in this world. That’s what Glenn thought and he would know cause he was one of the good things too.” She hugs Daryl then. “We have to win. Help me win.”

Daryl nods.

I’m seeing some admirable sides to Maggie that I don’t think I was so aware of before. She is stronger than I thought. She is a good person. I’m glad we have her on our side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit short and a bit late. The next chapter will be longer and will be the last chapter until the new season returns in October. Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As requested, I included more Daryl and Delilah time together in this one.


	60. Sixty

Sasha and Rosita gone left, probably on a stupid suicide mission to kill Negan. Doctor Carson has been taken by Negan, leaving the Hilltop without a doctor. Apparently Negan killed his doctor and had to get a new one. I fear for Doctor Carson’s safety. His presence will be missed here. He was a good man and a good doctor.

Despite all that has happened, I cannot stay at the hilltop. They could use me here as a doctor but my own people need me too. I want to go home with Daryl to my people. So that’s what we do.

Rick puts us to work quickly. A bunch of us go to try to recruit a group of people by the sea to join us in the fight against Negan. The group, calling themselves Oceanside, is made up of only women as Negan killed all of their men. I would think that they would be eager for revenge after their husbands and brothers and sons were killed but they’re just a bunch of cowards. It’s extremely disappointing.

Upon our return to Alexandria, we find that Rosita has returned and that she ran into Dwight. He’s here with her. Daryl immediately throws himself at Dwight but is stopped. We all surround Dwight. It’s me and Daryl, Rick, Rosita, Jesus, Michonne, and Tara. Rick is holding a gun pointed at him.

Tara confronts him about killing Denise, to which he replies “I wasn’t aiming for her.”

Daryl again throws himself at Dwight, this time pinning him to the wall and holding a knife to him.

“Do it!” Tara encourages him to kill him.

“You wanna end it this way you go ahead,” Dwight tells Daryl. “I'm sorry. I am. I know you want to.”

“We can’t trust him,” Rick says.

Dwight continues to insist that he is here to help us. He tells us “He owned me. But not anymore. What I did, I was doing it for someone else. She just got away. So now I'm here. So are you because of her.”

“Do it!” Tara exclaims again.

“Negan trusts me,” Dwight says. “We work together, we can stop him. You know me. You know I’m not lying.”

“Do it!” Tara shouts.

I stare at Daryl, waiting to see how he responds. I expect him not to kill Dwight. It’s his decision. He doesn’t even look to me for my opinion. He just stares Dwight down, deciding for himself what the right thing to do is. I trust Daryl and his opinion. In a world where so many people have gray morals, I know Daryl and his morals and I know that he sticks true to himself always. It’s one of the things I love most about him. I don’t doubt that he’ll make the right choice. 

Daryl steps back away from Dwight and puts down his knife. It’s only then that he looks at me and I nod, giving him my approval whether he needs it or not. I believe that Dwight is telling the truth. Though I find Dwight to be a person with more gray morals, and I can’t condone everything he has done, I see what Daryl sees here. We know that it’s not always so easy when Negan has you under his control. We know that Dwight did what he could and what he thought was right. He was desperate to save himself and his wife. He even tried to help us in his own way, giving us advice that he thought was best. He might actually be useful to us. We can use him.

Dwight warns us of Negan’s plans to attack us. He gives us important details and tries to help come up with a plan for us all to work together and take Negan down.

When Dwight leaves, we gather together watching him go. 

“If he's lyin', I'm gonna kill him real slow,” Daryl threatens. “When this is done, I don't give a damn if he's sorry. I will kill that son of a bitch.”

“If he's lying, this is already over,” Rick says.

We’re taking a big chance here and I can only hope that it works out for us.

The next day we all prepare for war. We take our positions along the wall and arm ourselves. Rick brought some people called the Scavengers to help aid us n our fight. I’m honestly creeped out by them and especially by their leader Jadis. She’s a very strange woman and I’m not sure I would trust her but I have to trust Rick. 

“The wall will hold,” Rosita assures everyone as we wait for Negan to show up.

This is another thing I love about Daryl, the fact that he doesn’t try to protect me from this. He trusts me and my abilities. We both worry a little for each other because we love each other and that’s what you do, but he isn’t afraid for me. He trusts that I can handle myself. He knows I’m strong and that I’m needed in the fight, pregnant or not. I am not fragile or weak. I am strong and smart and I’m a skilled fighter. Alexandria needs me and I will not let them down.

I am not afraid. I’m ready for this. I stand at Daryl’s side, holding my gun and ready to put an end to Negan once and for all. He will not win.

Finally Negan and his people arrive at our gates. Eugene is standing with them and urging us to surrender to Negan. Eugene has taken their side in all of this.

Rick will not surrender. He hits the detonator for the bombs to go off that we set. But nothing happens. Jadis and her scavengers have their guns pointed at us now. They betrayed us. I have a sinking feeling in my gut. I knew it. I knew she couldn’t be trusted.

This cannot be how it ends…

Negan announces to us that he has Sasha with him. He shows us a coffin and says she is inside it. “Got her right here packaged for your convenience, alive and well. Now, I brought her so I wouldn't have to kill all of you, and not killing all of you could get complicated. See, I know there's a lot of firepower left in there, Rick. So I'm gonna make this simple. I want all the guns you've managed to scrape up. I want every last grain of lemonade you got left. I want a person of your own choosing for Lucille. Daryl, Oh, I gotta get me my Daryl back. And pretty little Delilah, you too honey. I ain’t forgot about you. I see you. And the pool table and all the pool cues and chalk. And I want it now or Sasha dies, and then all of you. Probably. C’mon, Rick. Just because I brought her in a casket doesn't mean she has to leave in it.”

Rick doesn’t respond, much to Negan’s annoyance.

“You know what? You suck ass, Rick. You really do. I don't want to have to kill her, but that's exactly what you're gonna make me do.”

“Let me see her,” Rick tells hm.

He opens the coffin and to his surprise finds that Sasha is a walker and she almost takes him out. The surprise is clearly real. He didn’t know she was dead. She killed herself? She must have found a way. She stayed true to herself and sacrificed herself to help us in the end. She was brave and I respect that.

Gunfire breaks out, but not for long. They have more people than us and they soon take the upper hand. They have their guns pointed at us and have us kneeling on the ground. This is not the first time they have done this to us and it makes me feel sick thinking of what happened last time Negan made us kneel for him like this.

“I gotta tell you, Rick, if I had a kid, I'd want him to be just like your kid, which makes this so much harder,” Negan says.

“You're not gonna win,” Carl insists.

“It is over,” Negan tells him. “Rick you chose this. I truly don't know what more I could've done to warn you. And this isn't a warning. This is punishment. I'm gonna kill Carl now. I'm gonna make it one nice, hard swing, try to do it in one because I like him. I just want you to put that in your brain and roll it around for a minute. I'm gonna kill Carl, and then Lucille here, she's gonna take your hands.”

Rick is not intimidated. “You can do it right in front of me. You can take my hands. I told you already I'm gonna kill you. All of you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but nothing is gonna change that - nothing.”

Way to go, Rick! I am glad to see him standing up to Negan. We can’t let him defeat us no matter what.

Just as Negan is about to shoot Carl, he has to run out of the way because a tiger is attacking. I know that tiger! Relief washes over me and I focus on the fight. The reinforcements are here. These people truly do stand with us and did not betray us or forget about us. They are here to help us fight. We are gaining the upper hand now and it feels incredible. I feel stronger than ever.

In the end, Negan and the scavengers flee. They run from us to save themselves, recognizing that they are outnumbered. We won.

After, we all stand together, repairing things and handing out water and food. We celebrate that we won. There will be more war. Negan will not give up. But for now, we won.

Daryl finds a little figurine by the gate. Someone wrote in marker on it saying ‘Didn’t know.’ It’s clearly a message from Dwight saying that he didn’t know the scavengers were going to help Negan and turn on us.

We all stand together listening to our leaders, seeing them stand strong together. Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel. We won and we will continue to win together. We will defeat Negan. We will triumph over evil. Hope for the future burns brightly among us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter until the new season returns. Sorry it was a bit late and a bit rushed. Life is busy with my real life career as an author and caring for my toddler and preparing for a new baby in July. I hope you enjoyed reading.


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